UN urges France to treat migrants with dignity

The United Nations has urged the French government to treat thousands of migrants camping out in the northern ferry port town of Calais with human dignity.

"Let's treat the crisis as a civil emergency," said head of the Europe division of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Vincent Cochetel, on Friday.

The official said he believed the migrant crisis was largely the result of uncoordinated and partial application of the common European asylum system by the EU countries.

Cochetel added that the migration situation needed to be addressed "humanely" by European countries, saying the situation was "manageable" and "will continue" because "you cannot change geography."

The head of the UN agency also called for a revision in the asylum-taking procedures in order to speed up the process.

The UNHCR also criticized Britain for refusing to consider applications from individuals who have proven links with the United Kingdom.

"We call on the United Kingdom and other countries of the European Union to work in collaboration with the French authorities," the statement said.

An estimated 3,000 migrants are staying in an overcrowded migrant camp set up by the French government in Calais.

Many of those staying in the camp are in search of a chance to reach the UK by crossing the Channel Tunnel.

Some of the migrants in Calais have tried to stow away on vehicles headed for the UK through the Tunnel, while others have tried to climb or cut security fences and hitch a ride on Eurotunnel shuttles.

Calais is a major French ferry port attached to the UK by the Channel Tunnel, measuring 50.5 kilometers (31 miles) in length.

EU reception of migrants 'totally shameful'

Elsewhere in his remarks, Cochetel criticized the European Union for its failure to give proper reception to migrants and refugees arriving in Europe.

"This is the European Union, and this is totally shameful," Cochetel stated, adding, "We are concerned with the situation where no one is really assuming leadership in the response, which makes it very difficult for humanitarian operators to participate in the efforts."

Every year, hundreds of thousands of migrants and refugees fleeing from conflict, persecution, misery and humiliation enter the EU for a better life cross the Mediterranean and land in Greece, Italy and Malta. However, the Mediterranean countries provide inadequate reception services, leaving the asylum seekers caught in "totally shameful" conditions, the UN official said.

The dire conditions prompt most of the migrants not to apply for asylum, and instead, move on illegally through eastern Europe toward Germany, France and the UK, spreading the migration crisis all across the continent.

Cochetel condemned the chaotic situation, demanding urgent action from European policy makers to resolve the crisis.

"We believe that Europe needs to react … It would be in the interest of many European Union countries to help us to stabilize the situation and to provide better conditions."

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