(ANSA) - TRIESTE - "The European Union's response to migration is just creating more problems and causing unnecessary suffering to vulnerable people on the move". As European leaders meet in Brussels this week, Oxfam is calling for member states to "fundamentally change their approach to managing migration".

"The concept of 'Fortress Europe' - says Oxfam - needs to be replaced with a humane approach rooted in international law and human rights. Fortress Europe is forcing people into degrading and hopeless conditions. It is also sending a signal across the world that this behavior is acceptable, which is creating repercussions far beyond European borders".

Every day, from Italy and Greece to Serbia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Oxfam is witnessing the failings in Europe's migration response. The asylum and family reunification processes in Greece are unfair, inefficient and far too slow. People tell Oxfam they are frustrated and confused by the registration process and asylum system. "Europe needs to expand safe and regular routes to Europe and provide a fair, transparent and efficient asylum system. It also needs to ensure development aid is used for reducing poverty and inequality, not for reducing mobility," said Oxfam International Deputy Director of Campaigns and Advocacy, Natalia Alonso.

(ANSA).