Members of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) hold a debate with Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President for Promoting our European Way of Life and Ylva JOHANSSON, Commissioner for Home Affairs following their presentation of the New Pact on Asylum and Migration. This New Pact is expected to set out the asylum and migration policy of the VON DER LEYEN Commission and to end the deadlock in the Council on the reform of the Common European Asylum System pending since 2016. This transcription speech is the result of an automatic process. Check against delivery.

Brussels

statement

meeting

Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

migration and refugees in Europe (T)

SCHINAS, Margaritis (EPP-DE, EL, EC)

JOHANSSON, Ylva (SE, EC)

LIBE - The new Pact on Asylum and Migration: Opening statements by Margaritis SCHINAS Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of promoting our European Way of Life and Ylva JOHANSSON, European Commissioner for Home Affairs

SOUNDBITE (Original), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, Thank you. Dear President, honourable members, this is the first time, the day I am with you in LIBE and third time lucky, as we say, we finally did it.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, The clock has run out on the European Union on how long we could live in a house half built. The problems, the recent problems we see on migration but even the previous ones are yet another sharp reminder that the lack of Europe, the cost of non Europe in migration is simply unbearable

SOUNDBITE (Original), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, And the time to correct this is now. We are well aware that we our proposal on the pact, we have not rebuild the Parthenon.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, It's not a perfect temple, but we are well aware that the series of proposals we presented yesterday are the parameters of a potential compromise.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, What we also think is that what is on the table since yesterday is not something that the commissioner and I hatched ourselves in some room in the Belaymont.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, This is the result of an extensive consultation and probably the most expect extensive consultation undertaken on migration policy for the last year, which entailed travel to all EU capitals to ferret certain import done the third country capitals weeks of consultations in this house with many of you and also with the political families you represent

SOUNDBITE (Original), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, Ladies and gentlemen, no member state experiences migration in the same way. Problems are different. Objectives are different but we feel that the fact that each member state faces a unique and different challenge does not mean that we should overlook the red lines, but we should rather try to find a way through these red lines.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, And all the concerns of our member states should be acknowledged, recognised and addressed. We also think that on migration policy, there is no room for binary choices is not this or the other, because this is a very delicate puzzle and moving any piece of the puzzle will certainly upset the overall balance.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, So we are not in the mood of discussing binary choice choices as a guide to our future work. It's not either the responsibility or solidarity. It's both migration. It's a multifaceted topic and it does not do anyone justice to oversimplify it.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, So I will take this opportunity. A president today to plead with all of you to see a set of proposals we are tabling as a whole as a holistic package, including the ones many of you in this house have spent times in negotiating and this is another opportunity I did it in my hearing. I want to repeat it. Now, I want to salute and recognize the tremendous amount of work that has been done in this committee and this House in the previous proposal of 2016

SOUNDBITE (Original), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, Let me now quickly take you to the three main components of our proposals. Yesterday we have described many times as a building with three floors, external dimension management of external borders and fair internal rules. Let me start with the first floor of the building, which is, of course, the external dimension.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, In our relations with third countries and especially countries of origin and transit. Under the new pact, we will meet a change of paradigm, not simply turning the page. We need to move towards a comprehensive set of agreements and commitments with these countries that would be good for their people, but good also for their ability to manage their borders and their migration systems.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, We know that there is no one size fits it all in the external dimension of migration, and this is why we're putting the focus on comprehensive violence. Mutually beneficial partnerships tailor made to each partner country, specific situation mobilising specific instruments for specific outcomes.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, The second component of the pact is a renewed emphasis on the resilient management of the union's external borders. Under the new pact, they will be a new mandatory screening at all borders of the European Union, allowing to direct people immediately to the right procedure with strong fundamental rights monitoring mechanisms in place to ensure that this is done right when someone arrives at the external borders of the European Union something has to happen and this new mandatory screening procedure is an important novelty.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, Then, alongside with a new border procedures, we will create a seamless process at our external borders, which make sure that the whole circuit will move fluidly with no black holes, no bottlenecks, no unjustified suffering of people.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, And this, of course, will be complemented by a new European eco system geared towards effective returns with a new EU coordinator on returns and then reinforced Frontex playing its full role as our operational arm for carrying out. Refaat returns in a dignified and humane way.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, And finally, on the third floor of our theoretical house, we find ferm but fair and internal rules. We have decided to base this third floor on this notion of permanent, constant, effective solidarity for those of our member states who, by their geography, are the most confronted with migratory challenges.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, Our new pact will therefore provide for strong solidarity mechanisms that will ensure that at any point all requests for solidarity will be granted and needs will be matched with offers are introducing.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, To that extent, to that end, the concept a new concept of return sponsorship, which we think can provide a viable alternative and ensure that even people are not relocated. The same number of people can be catered for.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, The member state under pressure requesting solidarity will get the reassurance that they always be alleviated and helped by the pressure from the same number of people, either through relocation or by people being returned directly with the support of other member states.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, Who activate their diplomatic engagement and assistance. At the same time, where solidarity is provided for, the system will always leaves member states with an alternative to relocation that would create the same end result that whoever feels the need of help by their partners. We will get it. In essence, the new system is one in which solidarity becomes the norm.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, President Vonder Leyen said yesterday that this is not a question or whether or whether we will have solidarity, but how will we structure it and to do that. We have also identified that the commissioner will say a few words, more detail, the three specific situations, three to specific dipole, a typology of three specific situations for solidarity.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, According to the to the specificity of its situation, a member state can activate relevant mechanism. The intensity of the support will be tailored to the situation. And this is a situation that we call a crisis mechanism. [14.8s]

SOUNDBITE (Original), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, Another one tailored on search and rescue and another one on pressure or risk of pressure. In all these three strands of work, solidarity will be provided for. Lastly, a word of caution. We are not stopping here and we do not forget other important pieces of the overall migration and asylum policy puzzle

SOUNDBITE (Original), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, First, Schengen. We will next year present the strategy on the future of Schengen, which of course will include initiatives for a stronger and more complete Schengen and on legal migration, something that we want to be very ambitious on.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, And I know how much this is close to your heart, which deserves its own solutions, no narrative divorced from the immediate discussions now on the irregular migration and this will be done very soon separately.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, And that's why yesterday we launched a public consultation to gather views on this topic and proposals will follow next year, actually immediately after this meeting, I have to go to the meeting upstairs of the conference of committee chairs where we will discuss precisely our work programme for next year.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, And they have to present this proposal. So I stop here getting the president there. This is a new, fresh beginning. It's a new start. It's a connected whole. Everything connects to everything else

SOUNDBITE (Original), Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of promoting our European Way of Life, This is their first time in years that Europe has a chance to get a single, cohesive, resilient migratory policy framework. I'm confident that with your help and that of our governments in the council this time, this can be possible. Thank you President

SOUNDBITE (Original), Juan Fernando L&Oacute;PEZ AGUILAR, LIBE Chair, Thank you Vice-President, We're looking forward to the questions and answers round and we'll follow in your anwers Home commissioner presentation. I beg you, if you make it in 10 minutes, considering that he announced you would, you will be leaving right afterwards, please.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ylva JOHANSSON, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Thank you. And first, let me apologize that I have to leave earlier. It's embarrassing for me not being able to stay for the full time this time, with you. And I'm, of course, ready to come back as soon as possible. You are the legislators. You have the right to have the answers to your questions. So I apologize for that.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ylva JOHANSSON, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, So let me put it like this. Migration is normal. Migration has always been there. Migration will always be there. Migration is part of what makes our continent prosper.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ylva JOHANSSON, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Last year, we had more than three million migrants that got their residence permit in the European Union. More than one million came here to work. Last year almost 700000 previous migrants become EU citizens.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ylva JOHANSSON, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, We have a lot of migration to European Union and we need that. Last year, more than 1 million people left the European Union, and that means that we have plus one and a half million, something like that.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ylva JOHANSSON, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, That means we need these people. We are an aging society. What we are addressing in our new proposal is those part of migration that we are not managing good enough. And part of that is the irregular arrivals.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ylva JOHANSSON, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, And that's what we are addressing. But it is important to remember this is not the big part of the migration situation in European Union.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ylva JOHANSSON, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, We should not have fewer migrants. We should not aim for taking responsibility to protect fewer refugees. But we should aim to have legal pathways for more migrants and more refugees and fewer pain for those criminal networks to smugglers and fewer risking their lives arriving irregularly

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ylva JOHANSSON, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, To be able to do that. We need to focus also on legal pathways. We have proposed that we should continue with the resettlement. We are also proposing a new way with a community sponsored resettlement that we would like to develop on top of the resettlement scheme that we already have.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ylva JOHANSSON, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, And of course, we also have the legislation are waiting to be adopted on a resettlement. And I hope that that could be done quickly.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ylva JOHANSSON, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, We also need more legal pathways for people to come to work here. We have, of course, the blue card directive that I hope can be adopted as soon as possible. But we also need to find new legal pathways not only for skilled workers, but also for a medium and low skilled workers to come to the European Union.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ylva JOHANSSON, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Next year I will propose a new skills and talent package. I would propose a reform of the directive on on long term residents. I will give you the single permit directive for more harmonised management of migration for lower medium skilled workers. And we will develop your talent pool.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ylva JOHANSSON, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, And Margaritis Schinas also mentioned the importance of building partnership with third countries. Together with them, we will also develop new talent partnerships and that's going to be an important part of these partnerships.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ylva JOHANSSON, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Let me say something about these partnerships. When you are building partnerships with third countries, it's important to recognize they are partners. They should not be threatened.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ylva JOHANSSON, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, We should build a partnership, are built on trust, built on mutual benefits and built on respect. And that, of course, needs including managing migration in an orderly and fair way.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ylva JOHANSSON, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Of course, that's also include fighting the human smugglers, being able to take back their own citizens, but helping third countries to develop and to also build new ways for legal pathways or circular migration together with third countries

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ylva JOHANSSON, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, EU is also a global player when it comes to how we deal with protecting refugees. I think it's important because other countries and countries in the world look at us. That's important how we act together with third countries, helping third countries to protect their refugees, hosting countries, helping third countries to deal with migration in an orderly and fair way.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ylva JOHANSSON, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, But also, of course, taking our share of refugees that need international protection. And that's why resettlement is so important and that's why it's so important to defend the right to apply for asylum. And in my view, this right is something is also threatened.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ylva JOHANSSON, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, It's important for us because it's based on our values, our treaty, but it's also important globally to show that we are standing there behind and protecting the right to apply for asylum.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ylva JOHANSSON, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, I've been discussion with you here earlier about the risk of pushbacks and that is violating their rights to apply for asylum. That's why we put into this proposal a new legislation that make it mandatory for all member states to set up independent monitoring mechanism at their borders on to make sure that there will be no pushbacks.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ylva JOHANSSON, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, We also put in this proposal legislation saying that all member states need to investigate the allegations of pushbacks. This is a way to defend the right to asylum.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ylva JOHANSSON, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, But having said that, also, if everybody had the right to apply for asylum, but not everybody has the right to get asylum. And that's why it's important we fair and proper process. And that process should be as quick as possible.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ylva JOHANSSON, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, I think it's not fair to leave people in a limb waiting for the decision. And even worse you've got a decision and then you don't know whether you are you could stay or not. You also need your return decision. If you've got the negative asylum decision

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ylva JOHANSSON, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, I think this is important to make the distinction those that are eligible to stay and they are many. As I just said, three million last year, not the residence permit. All that are eligible to stay should be welcomed.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ylva JOHANSSON, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Should be part of our society. We need migrants and we need also to take responsibility for refugees. So that's why we're also presenting a new strategy for integration later this year.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ylva JOHANSSON, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, But those that are not eligible to stay, they have to leave. Not everybody has a right to apply for asylum, has the right to stay in European Union. And I think this is important also to show to our citizens that we will make a distinction between those that have the right to stays and though to stay and those that have not.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ylva JOHANSSON, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, And that's also why we have a strong focus on returns in this proposal. This is an area where the European Union is not performing very well. I think it's important that we would be must be must be much better and actually help people to return to their country of origin when they have a return decision.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ylva JOHANSSON, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Let me just but also stress, not all people have the right to stay in the European Union. But all people are human beings with rights and dignity. So even if you have to leave, you have to return. We have to treat people according to their rights and their dignity.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ylva JOHANSSON, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, The last thing I will say, we all know that many migrants are in a dramatic situation also in the European Union. And that's what we have to address. But let me say, to be able to do that, I will encourage you, as well as the council and the member states to dedramatize the migration policy and legislation, because I need us.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ylva JOHANSSON, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, I do think that we need to be calm and sober to be able to reach the agreements necessary, to be able to protect people and to to make sure that people and migrants will not be left in a dramatic situation. Thank you.