David SASSOLI, EP President, and António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations give a press conference at the European Parliament in Brussels. This transcription is the result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

Brussels

EU - United Nations (T)

press conference

GUTERRES, António (PT)

SASSOLI, David Maria (S&D, IT, S&D, IT)

president's agenda

Press conference by David SASSOLI, EP President and by António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations

SOUNDBITE (Original), Jaume DUCH GUILLOT, Spokesperson and Director-General for Communication of the EP, - Bonjour to touse, Good afternoon, everybody. Welcome to this press conference. It's going to be extremely brief because of the very busy schedules of our president and the secretary general. I won't make any introductions. I'm sure you've all listened to Mr. Guterrez speaking in the hemicycle just now. So we'll ask the questions straight away. We only got time for two questions. Mr. Van Dissenting, and then Maria Fornossa.

Question by journalist - Microphone. Bonjourno, good morning, president Sassoli, Secretary Guterres, thanks very much for the chance to speak to you and for making time. Let me ask something of the security on migration, one of the key issues of our time. It's an issue which Europe is facing up to, but without really coming up with satisfactory results.

Question by journalist - This has been happening for a while. What do you think about this? What do you think the UN can do to try to find a new mix of solidarity and responsibility which will allow us to make progress in this area of gratin?

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, UN Secretary General - Well, first of all, two years ago, the Global Campact on Migration was approved in Marrakesh. And the Global Compact paves the way for international cooperation between countries of origin, countries of transit and countries of destination in order to make sure that there is a regularly, orderly, safe, well organised migration.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, UN Secretary General - And that and this is our most important objective, we take the management of migration out of traffickers, out of smugglers, that they dramatically violate human rights and to allow states in cooperation to manage migration flows. But for that to be possible, it's very important, in my opinion, that Europe comes together.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, UN Secretary General - No, there is no way a country alone and I have the experience of being prime minister of Portugal and I have the expected to be high commissioner for Refugees, there is no way a country alone can address this challenge in the European context.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, UN Secretary General - It would be very important, in my opinion, to have a European migration policy managed in solidarity by all European countries. And for that, we need to have a new understanding about migration. My mother is 98 years old. She has a serious health problem, as you can imagine, and we have permanently 24 hour support to my mother at home in Lisbon.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, UN Secretary General - And when I see the people that are supporting my mother, I don't find many Portuguese. And Portugal is not a very rich country, as you know. We are a country of emigration for centuries. So it is clear that migration is necessary.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, UN Secretary General - It is clear that migration is an important contribution to the future of our continent. And I speak now also as European. And so if something is necessary, better that it is properly managed.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, UN Secretary General - And my appeal for European countries is to come together and then to establish forms of cooperation in all aspects, namely also in relation to prevention, migration that is not necessarily supporting development in countries of origin, making everything to make sure that migration becomes not a need, but the choice.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, UN Secretary General - Everything needs to be done and can only be done if European countries come together, both in the internal management of the problem and in the international cooperation that is needed. And then another thing: all our societies are becoming multiethnic, multireligious and multi cultural.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, UN Secretary General - And this is a richness, not a threat, but the success of diversity does not happen spontaneously. We must make a huge investment in social cohesion to make each community feel that their identity is respected, but at the same time that they are part of the community as a whole. And this is a huge responsibility for governments everywhere in the world, but also in Europe.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Jaume DUCH GUILLOT, Spokesperson and Director-General for Communication of the EP, - Many thanks, Mr. General Secretary. Thank you very much, Maria, for not her, please.

Question by journalist - I have a question for President Sassoli, Mr. President, I saw your reaction yesterday on the controversial LGBTI law in Hungary.

Question by journalist - So I would like to know a good answer. Would you expect or would you like to have today in the European Council, by the European leaders, to respect a European full of fundamental values? And I like to ask you if you are confident that European Commission is going to take action against Hungary before this Parliament send it to the European Court of Justice? Gracie mille.

SOUNDBITE (Original), David SASSOLI, EP President, - Well, 15 months ago, we decided to respond to the crisis in democracy. Over the last year, we've opened up proceedings. There has been strong commitment from the European institutions, particularly the European Parliament, to ensure action is taken on the rule of law.

SOUNDBITE (Original), David SASSOLI, EP President, - I think the time has come now for the law to be applied. I wrote to the president of the commission Ursula von der Leyen yesterday, calling upon her to take initiatives towards the countries where Article 7 is being violated.

SOUNDBITE (Original), David SASSOLI, EP President, - And, of course, the penalties involved would be a refusal to provide European funding that something mandatory, it's not optional. The law has been adopted. The law applies to everyone.

SOUNDBITE (Original), David SASSOLI, EP President, - And we believe that when you have violations, which are quite blatant, then those penalties have to be triggered. The commission has till the end of July to respond, and after that, of course, as I pointed out to the president of the commission, the timeframe would lead us to the Court of justice.

SOUNDBITE (Original), David SASSOLI, EP President, - Now, we're not carrying out European tourism, what we're trying to do is to lead the European Union to shoulder shared responsibilities in the defence of our shared values.

SOUNDBITE (Original), David SASSOLI, EP President, - And that is the commitment of the European Parliament. I'd like to thank the secretary, Mr Guterres, for his speech and for coming to parliament. We feel honoured. I'm grateful to him in particular for listening to so many messages, which may be helpful.

SOUNDBITE (Original), David SASSOLI, EP President, - Not just in tightening cooperation between the European Parliament, the European Union and the United Nations, but also, who set out priorities which will not only help us to come out of the crisis, but ensure that we emerge from it together in a world where inequalities have to be evened out.

SOUNDBITE (Original), David SASSOLI, EP President, - We have a shared commitment and the policies he set out on the major issues of migration to get the European Union a huge responsibility. We cannot deal with this individually anymore. That's a message I'm going to be putting on the European Council today too. Thank you very much. Gracie