Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-03-09-Speech-1-180"
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"en.20090309.19.1-180"2
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"Madam President, I am going be fairly brief, although I listened carefully to all the speeches and I thank the European Parliament for showing true support for this effort to give the asylum policy the full scope it needs for all the world’s persecuted people. We have a duty and, as Martine Roure said, a moral imperative to do so.
I would like to give some clarifications. First, some of you have mentioned Frontex, Mr Catania in particular. I have to tell you that Frontex now has a liaison officer in the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. This is a real effort on the part of Frontex to understand fully the problems affecting asylum seekers, and the Commission has proposed rules to improve the definition of Frontex responsibilities in maritime operations. We are currently in discussions with the Member States on this important issue.
I would like to go back to the request for solidarity that many of you have made. I am thinking in particular of Mr Busuttil, who mentioned the difficult situation Malta faces in this matter. It is true that, in the action plan on asylum, the Commission proposed to study the options that could be offered by distributing asylum seekers around the Member States on a voluntary basis.
The discussion with the Member States began in autumn via an informal document that put forward several options for implementing the principle of solidarity in the asylum area. I have to say that it is not easy to get agreement from the majority of the Member States on a mechanism for sharing refugees amongst them. We are, however, to begin a study on the impacts and the possibilities for this sort of sharing at Union level.
I would also like to say that we are ready to finance projects related to such sharing and relocation in the framework of the European Refugee Fund. I will have the chance to say this again in the Member States that I am going to visit. These same countries are very often those sought by asylum seekers.
To summarise, I believe we are at the start of a long process that is essential if we really want Europe to uphold in its values a strong identity as a region which will welcome all the people in the world who are suffering and awaiting our help.
Many thanks to the European Parliament, Madam President and honourable Members, for all your speeches, which are particularly valuable to me as your Commissioner."@en1
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