MEPs in Brazil to appraise circumstances facing Venezuelans

A delegation formed by seven members of the European Parliament is expected to arrive in Brazil today (Jun. 25) and proceed to Colombia in order to scrutinize the situation facing the Venezuelan refugees on the borders shared by the two countries with Venezuela.

Led by Portuguese official Franciso Assis, the delegation will attend the ceremony on the delivery of 4 million euros as aid to the Brazilian state. “Should the need be detected for greater help and should the European Union be available for situations of this nature, this support will certainly be provided,” stated Assis, who also heads the European delegation on the ties with Mercosur.

He said that the purpose of the trip to Brazil is to visit Venezuelans who, for a number of reasons, left their country in the last few months and reached the other side of the frontier. Assis noted he has been informed that, in Roraima state, north Brazil, there is a particularly large amount of Venezuelans, many of whom in shelters created by the Brazilian authorities, most in the state capital Boa Vista, and many in Pacaraima, on the border.

“Our mission is to become familiar with the situation these people find themselves in and urge the European Union to offer support to the Brazilian state, which is welcoming the refugees,” he declared.

Since 2005, over two million Venezuelans left their homes. - Marcelo Camargo/Agência Brasil

Abandoned homes

Since 2005, over two million Venezuelans left their homes. According to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), more than 60% of them are not properly documented. Colombia receives the highest number of Venezuelans—upwards of 800 thousand people. Brazil has welcomed some 50 thousand Venezuelan refugees.

Assis mentioned the political, economic, and social crisis in Venezuela, which is currently forced to cope with food and medication shortages, in addition to unemployment. He said that the Parliament has been critical of the non-democratic behavior of the Venezuelan authorities and that it has approved a number of recommendations for the country over the last years.

“We’ve also made an appeal for internal dialog between those in power and the multiple oppositions in a bid to restore the conditions for democratic normality in Venezuela, so that a new phase can begin, which makes the overcoming of this most serious humanitarian crisis possible,” he concluded.