Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-10-12-Speech-3-060"
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"en.20051012.12.3-060"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, this is an issue of great importance which some, however, are tackling in a controversial manner. There are two approaches: one has also been seen in this Chamber, in a slightly different way from what has been reported in the press; the second can be observed in national events, in the press and in political actions.
I endorse the statements made by the Council and expressed in other ways by the Commission. What is more, I visited Lampedusa together with all my colleagues in the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, and I will go to any other European centres that we decide to visit. There are, however, some aspects of the statements that I believe should not be emphasised. I also agree with the position expressed by Mrs Buitenweg and, in part – for once – also that of Mr Catania, although I do not agree with his statements regarding deportation by Italy or journalistic action, which can certainly do nothing to aid such an important cause.
Mr President, this is an issue which should concern the whole of the European Union – just now someone referred to a ‘planetary problem’. Currently there is no EU policy on immigration and there are countries which are not capable of tackling the problem by themselves. Italy and Spain are large countries – Spain is even getting the army to intervene – and some countries, such as Italy, have outposts in the middle of the sea, such as Lampedusa. Other countries, however – such as Malta, which has a population of barely 400 000 – find themselves under enormous pressure and are not capable of dealing with the problem.
Thus, one can talk of Lampedusa as much as one wants, one can use it for one’s own ends to one’s heart’s content – I refer to Mr Catania – but Lampedusa remains a small island in the middle of the sea, with only 5 000 residents, which is not able to tackle the situation or to create a Hilton hotel for the thousands and thousands of people arriving there. We should thank, as Mr Borghezio and Mr La Russa did, all those who are working on the island, including our friends from Malta who are also doing all that they can. We will visit Malta in January.
Mr President, it is important to establish a policy in this field once and for all, which is the one sketched out by the Council Presidency, but this policy must be undertaken in a committed fashion. The Council must take responsibility for it and the Commission should formulate a specific proposal. We must set up a common immigration policy – Mr President, I am just finishing – so that, in addition to human tragedies, in addition to the needy, hungry people who need work, other aspects are also borne in mind, such as those who operate boats to carry illegal immigrants, traffickers in human beings and above all the terrorists who may benefit from these situations to infiltrate Europe."@en1
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