Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-12-18-Speech-3-164"
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"en.20021218.7.3-164"2
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".
Mr President, first of all, I shall stress that, in my view, thanks to the commitment of the Danish Presidency and that of the Greek Presidency, the possibility of gaining approval in the near future for the first phase of legislative instruments in the area of asylum is within our grasp.
Approval of these instruments is very important, because it paves the way for the full implementation of the Treaty of Nice, which provides for the development of the second stage subject to qualified majority. I understand the difficulties and the reluctance that is felt on occasion, but for my part, it is very important to be able to say that we have completed, within the timeframe stipulated by the Treaty of Amsterdam, the first phase of legislative instruments in the area of asylum in order to be able to pave the way for the full implementation of the Treaty of Nice, including the integration, subject to qualified majority, of a common European asylum system.
As far as the contradiction between repressive policies and proactive policies is concerned, I feel that the Commission has strived to present a range of proposals that is balanced in both areas.
Regarding, for example, the policy on return, we have financial instruments for voluntary return, which is the European Refugee Fund. We have also recently presented a proposal for the use of heading B7-667. To this end, we shall present a proposal for a legal basis which provides for the possibility of using financial resources to support the application of re-admission agreements, including forced return.
Admittedly, a policy for the management of migratory flows must include, by definition, the existence of financial instruments for forced return. This is precisely why we wish to adopt common rules in the area of forced return and we wish to ensure respect for certain rules in the area of fundamental rights, within the framework of the development of the policy on forced return. In this respect, I shall respond to Mrs Boumediene-Thiery and say that the Commission has no executive responsibilities in the area of return. All Member States, in applying decisions on return, are meant to respect the relevant international instruments on fundamental rights, including the non-refoulement clause. There are also legal instruments for judicial protection where the Member State breaches the rule on non-refoulement. All readmission agreements must respect the Geneva Convention as well as the principle of non-refoulement.
I also support Mr Watson’s approach in that we must emphasise the dimension of fundamental rights within the framework of the re-admission agreements. That is why – and if you have an opportunity, you can verify this – the Commission has strengthened the non-appropriation clause in the new mandates for negotiating re-admission agreements with Albania, Algeria, Turkey and the People’s Republic of China.
As far as the relationship between the development policy and the immigration policy is concerned, let us be clear and speak openly and honestly. It is true that the development policy deals with the profound causes of immigration, but the development policy can only bring about long-term changes in this area. It would be impossible to expect immediate effects from a sustainable development policy of the kind that we apply in our relations with third countries. That is why we must not neglect the need to take short-term measures, for example in the area of managing migratory flows of qualified workers, flows are a genuine scourge for developing world countries which are thus deprived of human resources that are essential for their development. It is this whole complex framework that we are trying to lay down in the Immigration and Development communication. I hope that we shall have the opportunity to discuss it here at a plenary sitting of the European Parliament.
Lastly, I am wholly of the opinion that we must provide special protection for minors. I would also draw your attention to the fact that, in all the proposals that we have made in the area of asylum and immigration, we have introduced specific rules for the protection of minors and also of women.
To sum up, I hope that we shall have the opportunity during the Greek Presidency to debate a Commission communication which is currently being prepared in conjunction with Mrs Diamantopoulou. The communication relates to the interaction between the policy on managing migration and social policy in general, and the European employment policy in particular. It will be an important time for clarifying the close relationship between the management of migratory flows and employment policy at European level, as Mr Watson highlighted so clearly."@en1
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