Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-11-24-Speech-2-290"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20091124.32.2-290"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, honourable Members, I would like to begin by thanking the European Parliament for its very constructive cooperation in respect of the European Asylum Support Office. There are still a few formalities to iron out, but the conditions will soon be in place for this office to be set up. The Council has a very positive view of the constructive cooperation with the European Parliament that has led to us achieving this result. It bodes well for the increased cooperation that we will experience once the Treaty of Lisbon enters into force. The fact that we have been able to arrive at a quick decision with regard to the Support Office is a good example of an efficient and well-functioning codecision process.
This is the main feature of the Presidency’s draft of the Stockholm Programme. We are now at the end of a very intensive period of negotiation and the programme will hopefully be adopted in a couple of weeks’ time.
Finally, I would like to say a few words about the Treaty of Lisbon. The new treaty will bring major changes in the area of freedom, security and justice as a result of the introduction of a number of new legal bases. The ordinary legislative procedure that is being introduced will mean that the European Parliament is given a greater role in the legislative process in a number of areas. Mrs Ask and I are looking forward to increased cooperation with the European Parliament. I also believe that the new tasks conferred on the national parliaments will be important in strengthening the democratic control over this policy area. Thank you very much for your attention. As my colleague Mrs Ask said, we now look forward to hearing your views.
What we are to debate here today is, of course, the forthcoming five-year programme for the work in connection with justice and home affairs. I will start by saying that much has happened within the EU in the area of asylum and migration over the last few years. For example, we have taken decisions on joint legislation with regard to the first foundations of a common immigration policy and a common asylum system. Incidentally, that is an objective that was stated in both of the previous work programmes from Tampere and The Hague. When the European Council adopted the European Pact on Immigration and Asylum last year, this policy area was given new political force. Now it is time to set the course for the continued development of the policy in this area. The basic premise for our work is that well-managed migration can be a positive thing for all parties concerned, not only for the individual Member States and for the EU as a whole, but also for the countries of origin and the individual migrants. If we are to be able to meet the objectives of the Lisbon strategy that the EU should be a dynamic and competitive economy, we will probably need to allow the immigration of workers on a larger scale than we are currently doing, particularly in view of the demographic challenge we are facing.
In order to emphasise the international dimension of migration, the issue of cooperation with the countries of origin and transit within the framework of the global approach to migration and development should have its starting point in the Stockholm Programme. The instruments that have been developed, such as the partnership for mobility, should continue to be developed and consolidated in a strategic way. The link between migration and development must be utilised better and appropriate measures for better utilising the positive effects of migration on development must be stepped up.
During the work on the Stockholm Programme, it emerged that there is agreement on the need for the Member States to prevent illegal immigration into the EU in a joint and coordinated way. The development of an effective repatriation policy is an important element of this work. There is no doubt that Frontex has an important role to play in this regard, and it is clear that the Member States want to see the agency strengthened. Increasing cooperation with the countries of origin and transit is also of major interest. However, I would like to emphasise that, in the work to prevent illegal immigration, it is important that we maintain a balance, so that security measures are not implemented at the cost of making lawful immigration to the EU complicated or access to the asylum process more difficult for asylum seekers. The risks to vulnerable groups, for example, children coming alone, must also be minimised. The Commission is going to produce an action plan containing measures that take account of the best interests of the children.
The issue of solidarity and division of responsibility will be dealt with in the Stockholm Programme. There are no simple solutions. Our starting point should be to seek broad and sustainable solutions, based on the global approach to migration and the awareness that joint cooperation with third countries is a crucial factor. Some form of solidarity mechanism needs to be developed to be able to help those Member States that find themselves under particular pressure and that receive a disproportionate number of asylum seekers. The Member States must also receive support for further capacity building. Frontex must be strengthened and be given a greater role in repatriation. The aim is for us to be better able to show solidarity with both the Member States and the third countries that are subject to the greatest migration pressure. At the same time, we must be clear that we need a comprehensive approach that is sustainable in both the short and the long term.
It is important for it to be stated in the Stockholm Programme that the goal previously set of creating a common European asylum system by 2012 at the latest remains. The mainstay of the common asylum system must be that an individual asylum seeker should experience the same reception and have his or her application assessed according to the same criteria irrespective of which Member States he or she arrives in. Well-functioning practical cooperation is fundamental to us being able to achieve this. In this connection, the Asylum Support Office will have an important role to play.
Another important element of the common asylum system is what is known as the ‘external dimension’. I am thinking primarily of the resettlement of refugees from third countries. The Commission has recently presented a proposal for a joint EU resettlement programme. This is one aspect that the majority of Member States would like to see reflected in the Stockholm Programme.
In order to be able to meet the objective of having a common asylum system by 2012, we need close cooperation between the Council and Parliament. There are a number of proposals for legislative acts on the table. We need, first and foremost, to make progress on these.
The link between the EU’s internal work on justice and home affairs and the Union’s external relations has become more and more important to enable progress to be made, and not only within asylum and migration policy. The EU’s role as a global player in this area should therefore be strengthened, and particular focus should be placed on partnership and cooperation with third countries. The justice and home affairs perspective in the EU’s external relations needs to be developed."@en1
|
| lpv:videoURI |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples