Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-02-15-Speech-2-460-000"
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"en.20110215.26.2-460-000"2
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"Mr President, I would like to thank all those who have contributed. This ruling is extremely interesting, but it does not completely undermine the Dublin system as it is today. This more or less works and, independent of the ruling, already obliges Member States to ensure that fundamental rights are respected. Nevertheless, it points out some important issues and that is why we do need to reform the Dublin Convention and we need to improve it.
That is why the Commission has proposed improvements, and I am very happy to know that you are working on these and that you are also seeing the need to have some sort of emergency mechanism in this. We support you fully in that regard.
We also need to accelerate our work to establish a common asylum system. Most people here are agreed with that, and I am very grateful for the work you are doing. The best way to achieve that is to go on with the work, to publish the reports and to encourage the Council to start negotiating.
There are too many differences between the Member States today and that is not sustainable. In a common Union, with common values and a common application of international standards and conventions, there cannot be such differences as there are today. People need to be treated in a decent way. We need to ensure protection for the most vulnerable. We need to have efficient systems so that people are not kept in detention for months, and sometimes years. That is very painful for the individual and it is also very costly for society. We need to improve that. Again, I can only encourage you and the Council to keep on working on this.
On Greece, the Commission is doing a lot to help. The Greek Government is working with its action plan. It is a very ambitious plan, but it has been clear from the beginning that this is not going to be solved over a weekend. There are long-standing problems. We are there to support and the fact that all Member States are involved in the Frontex operation, but have also offered different kinds of assistance – economic assistance or technical expertise, interpreters, administrative assistance – shows that there is true European solidarity.
We need to help Greece because Greece is under extreme pressure, and that is a European challenge as well. Of course, Greece has the main responsibility. It has done a lot, but needs to do more. I am not convinced that a fence or a wall is a solution because there are other reforms that are much more important. We are also working with EASO, the new asylum support office in Valletta. And we are working with UNHCR.
Lately, Turkey has shown itself to be constructive and cooperative. We have finalised the negotiations on a readmission agreement after eight years. I hope that the Member States will accept that when we have the next Council next week.
On the figures that Mrs Wikström asked about, the figures I have for the period 2009 and 2010 show that there were 16 328 requests to take charge or take back migrants addressed by Member States to Greece. Of that number, 12 638 (77%) were accepted. Nevertheless, Member States executed only 2 251 of these transfers, that is a bit less than 14%.
I would like to thank you again for the support you are giving to the work we are trying to do with the asylum package. The legislative acts are on the table. Let us keep on working together – the Commission, Parliament and the Council – to get this done as soon as possible so that, finally, we have a common European asylum system."@en1
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