Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-10-12-Speech-3-043"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20051012.12.3-043"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spoken text |
".
Mr President, this morning and this summer has seen an unprecedented level of irregular migration across the Mediterranean into the European Union. The tragic loss of life of those drowned at sea and those seeking to cross the European Union’s borders illegally has sharply brought into focus the problems we face in managing migration flows and tackling illegal immigration.
Although attention is focused on the recent events at the Spanish-Moroccan border in Ceuta and Melilla, Malta and the Italian island of Lampedusa have also faced serious problems in recent months. The Member States that border the Mediterranean suffer a disproportionate burden in providing support for those in need of international protection whilst at the same time being responsible for intercepting and returning illegal immigrants who have no right to enter the European Union.
Dealing with these issues in a firm but fair way which meets our international commitments is a shared concern for the European Union. Member States must shoulder this burden together. I do not propose in the course of our debate this afternoon to comment on the specific issues in Spain, Italy or Malta. The Commission sent a technical mission to Ceuta and Melilla earlier this week and is reporting on its findings to the Justice and Home Affairs Council today. I am sure that Commissioner Figeľ will speak in more detail on these matters in a moment or two.
It is important that we realise that these events are the symptoms of a wider problem which requires a long-term solution. In recent years the European Union has made substantial progress in adopting common minimum standards in asylum and immigration legislation and in working together on joint border operations now in the framework of the new European Border Agency, Frontex. However, this has clearly not been enough. To respond to regular migration requires us to work more effectively with countries outside the European Union.
It is right that the European Union is seeking to engage its collective weight to enhance cooperation on migration with source and transit countries. The Commission and Member States have made substantial technical and financial support available to third countries to help improve their management of migration flows. This is happening through European Union funded programmes and through bilateral projects. There are real outcomes such as strengthened border controls and improved capacity to manage migration, including to protect refugees and displaced persons. In addition, the European Union has stepped up the pace of its negotiation of readmission agreements, with an agreement now finalised with Russia, an important transit country, and negotiations ongoing with Morocco. This work needs to continue.
Last month, Justice and Interior Ministers discussed migration issues with North Africa and Africa as a whole at their informal Council in Newcastle. They gave a strong endorsement to deeper European Union engagement. This is a priority for the UK Presidency and we will pursue a genuine partnership with Africa on migration, including through EuroMed and the African Union. An important example is the European Union’s current work to enhance migration cooperation with Libya on border management and asylum protection. The June Council described this as ‘urgent and essential to avoid humanitarian disasters and prevent further loss of life’. Since then there has been joint training with Libya on border guards and work on improving on search and rescue techniques.
Equally important is cooperation with Morocco, which has signed up to a joint paper with the Spanish and French setting out measures to combat illegal immigration, including early warning and aid for victims of trafficking. Ideas from this paper will be taken forward at the EU-EuroMed Summit in November.
Finally, the European Union must work together with countries of origin and transit to build capacity for refugee protection in these regions. Here we are making concrete progress. The Justice and Home Affairs Council and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees are today discussing the implementation of regional protection programmes. These regional protection programmes are designed to create the conditions for people to resettle and integrate closer to their regions of origin, or in countries that they transit through.
The European Union’s policy on migration and asylum needs to be carefully balanced and indeed carefully considered. Migration is a complex issue and issues of border control, illegal immigration and the protection of refugees should not be confused. However, public support for managed migration and the welfare of migrants themselves depends on firm action against illegal immigration and the organised crime that all too often supports it. That is why the UK Presidency feels it is important to push ahead with European Union cooperation with third countries to avoid further human tragedies in the Mediterranean and to establish managed migration that works in the interests of the European Union and indeed of its neighbours."@en1
|
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples