Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-02-12-Speech-3-212"
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"en.20030212.6.3-212"2
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". – Mr President, I wish to begin by thanking all those who have contributed to this debate and, above all, Baroness Ludford for her excellent contribution.
I would like to pay my sincere respects to Parliament. If we have problems in terms of progress during this year Parliament cannot be blamed for any kind of delay. It has always given its opinions on time.
I shall just address a few of the questions raised during the debate, starting with a remark by Mr Schulz. We should all resist the temptation to reduce the debate on asylum and migration to a purely ideological debate. It is indeed tempting and very easy to do this by using slogans to manipulate emotions. However, if we reduce the debate to such positions, I wonder whether we are really addressing the dramatic problems that asylum and migration raise for thousands of people all over the world and especially in the European Union.
It might even be tempting to make the Commission the bad guy. I am used to performing several roles, but this would be a new one for me. However, the Commission has always tried to put forward the right balance between an efficient policy combating illegal migration and, at the same time, defining the grass roots of a proactive, positive policy on migration. This is not for ideological reasons. We believe that if we do not succeed in having a clear, transparent and coordinated policy on legal migration, we will not succeed in the fight against trafficking in human beings and illegal migration.
If I appear too generous, I would like to recall that the Commission put forward a proposal for a framework decision on combating trafficking in human beings. The Commission presented the action plan on illegal migration that was taken on board by the Council. The Commission presented the action plan on external border controls that was taken on board by the Council. The Commission presented the proposal on the return action plan. The Commission made the proposal on a new Schengen information system. The Commission proposed the creation of a visa database. If this is being too generous, I admit that I have some differences with some Members regarding the notion of generosity.
When it comes to the new terrorist threat, as Mr Queiró has emphasised, we recognise that we are confronted with a phenomenon we know little about. We are not yet at the stage of being prepared to face the new profile of the terrorist threat, not only as far as the possibility of terrorist attacks is concerned - and one must be prepared for whatever might happen in the near future, in the light of the evolution of international events - but also in terms of a key question you have raised: the financing of the terrorist networks.
Therefore I hope that during 2003, Member States will be able to make effective progress in achieving concrete results and adopt legislation to combat the financing of terrorism. This should include not only the illegal financing of terrorism, but also the 'legal' financing of terrorism in the European Union, including offshore centres on its territory.
I would like to confirm to Mrs Terrón i Cusí that the Commission intends to set up a network of experts during spring 2003, thus following up the Brussels Declaration.
I now turn to the issue raised by Mr Coehlo. Difficulties abound in dealing with certain specific and very sensitive issues because we have a split between the first and third pillars; data protection is a very good example of this. We should emphasise that there is a clear sign from the European Convention that the values of freedom, security and justice cannot be held hostage by a schizophrenic division between pillars that is blocking us every day.
Finally, on the very important issue raised by Mr Pirker, I can guarantee that we are preparing for the possibility of a mass influx. I do not want to anticipate the evolution of international events, but we have learned much from the experience in Kosovo. We have the directive on temporary protection. It has been transposed into national legislation by Sweden, Finland and Belgium, and other Member States already have provisions in their national legislation concerning sudden influxes of migrants and refugees. Therefore, to deal with the most urgent situations we can mobilise, in the very short term, the reserve of the fund for European refugees. My colleague, Commissioner Nielson, together with ECHO, and in close coordination with UNHCR, is looking at the possibility of supporting refugees in the region. I hope that this time things will work much better, thanks to the progress that has been achieved as far as temporary protection is concerned."@en1
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