"Distinguished auditors,
Let me first thank the European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions for their kind invitation that is providing me with the opportunity to contribute to today’s discussions on the impact that migration has on public sector workers. As you all know, migration has in recent weeks become one of, if not the top priority in terms of agenda setting. Migration has also become a very cross-cutting issue that is discussed among various stakeholders, agencies and institutions. Therefore, I would like to address recent developments related to the current refugee crisis while giving you an inside view of the presidency’s work, which is based on a fast-changing environment.
Europe is facing a historic challenge. We are currently dealing with the highest influx of refugees since World War II. The pressure that in recent years has risen continuously in the Mediterranean area, has now reached an unprecedented level. This was, most of all, due to springtime’s calm seas that have eased the path to Europe. However, this has only become common knowledge when the number of boats sinking in the Mediterranean was on the rise from April onwards and when the migrants’ death toll was turning the shores of Europe into a cemetery. A cemetery of hope and despair of people that were looking out for a better future for their families.
In parallel and in addition, migration flows from the Balkan region have increased. On the one hand, out of desperation from people that have already been staying a long time in Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan without seeing any progress on their journey to a better future. On the other hand, out of desperation from people that have only recently fled Syria and the bordering regions, as a result of attacks from extremist rebel groups and militias, such as the Islamic state.
With regard to the ongoing crisis, the European Union has to remain faithful to its values. The values that imply helping people in need and providing shelter for people that are reaching out for protection. Protection from war, protection from torture, and protection from being persecuted based on political, religious or sexual grounds. Europe should not only request the
respect of universal Human rights principles, but it also has to set a good example itself by providing support to the ones in need.
However, this does not equal to everyone joining Europe under any circumstances. An open policy is possible as long as the rules are respected. That is why we must strike a balance between legal migration and return policies, while limiting and counteracting the abuse of our asylum systems.
Europe’s current challenges are multi-layered: Secondary movements; the pressure on our asylum systems; the lack of adequate reception centres and shelter; the questioning of the Dublin system; the ad hoc reintroduction of border controls inside the Schengen area; and finally, the issues faced on Europe’s external borders. Besides all these concerns, we have to return those that are unlawfully staying in Europe. Touching upon this, we have to achieve that every Member State is respecting and applying the Schengen and Dublin rules.
Many of these elements have already been tackled at the political level. Not less than five Justice and Home affairs Councils concentrating primarily on migratory issues have been convened since July. Moreover, Heads of States and Governments, Foreign Affairs, Development, Health, and Security Ministers that have also engaged with the matter. The time has come for these different policy areas to cooperate more closely and with a proactive mind set. This is also reflecting the Presidency’s vision. Our benchmark is to approach the migration challenge in a package approach – meaning that we are handling different aspects in parallel while joining efforts of different policy areas.
Despite all the measures taken – I will come back to them in a moment – we have to continue to constantly evaluate the situation on the ground in order to be able to come up with the best possible solutions available. Frontex’s recent statistics reveal that there have already been around 950.000 illegal border-crossings into the EU from 1 January to mid-October this year. Compared to last year, there have only been 245.000 illegal border-crossings during the same period. Via Hungary alone, 204.000 persons managed to get into the EU. Meanwhile, the number of asylum seekers is skyrocketing. On a European level, we had 150.000 applications solely in August, with 670.000 cases awaiting a decision at first instance!
Even if a desire for more Europe is on the rise, several Nations have had difficulties dealing with the concept of solidarity. Nevertheless, the Luxembourgish Presidency has succeeded in leading a constructive debate that has been translated into concrete measures.
The European Commission had presented the European Agenda on Migration in May this year, followed by positive reactions and support from Heads of States and Governments in June. In July, we managed to find common ground on resettling 22.000 persons. In addition, it was
agreed upon relocating 40.000 persons in clear need of international protection from Italy and Greece.
The JHA Council meeting in September came to terms with the relocation of another 120.000 persons from Italy and Greece – with the option for the European Commission to enlarge the geographical scope to other countries, if needed. It is of utmost importance that the hotspots in Italy and Greece are starting to be operational as soon as possible. Therefore, experts from Member States have to be deployed to Frontex and EASO. Last Friday, the first group of people has been flown from Italy to Sweden. This is far more than a symbolic gesture of a start of a new European solidarity approach.
This being said, it will not be possible for Europe to accept every single migrant, especially economic migrants. Therefore, we have to find improved ways to return the people that have not been granted a refugee status to their country of origin. In this context, coherent and dynamic Return and Readmission policies are needed. We have been intensively working on this matter since the Commission’s proposal on an EU-wide return program. We will reform the Frontex mandate, as it is also foreseen for the Agency to play a more proactive role in return actions while being upgraded with a ‘return office’. Member states and the High representative, Federica Mogherini, are invited to mobilize their efforts to enhance cooperation in the field of readmission agreement.
Without any doubt, there has to be some kind of support for the people that are deciding to return to their home countries on a voluntary basis. However, such incentives shall not lead to any kind of ‘return shopping’. On the contrary, such measures cannot transform into the reality of people coming to Europe for the sole purpose of obtaining return aid.
Moreover, work is in progress on a European list of safe countries of origin in order to enhance the standardization of the different European asylum systems. This will help Member states to process asylum applications from the citizens emanating from one of the countries on that list, in a faster way. This proposal is currently tested against its compatibility with the European fundamental rights.
We are also at a crucial intersection regarding the management of the Union’s external borders. Substantial efforts are put into the development of new strategies. Member States have come to the understanding that there is a clear need for an increased collective responsibility at our external borders. Here again, Frontex has to be at the forefront. The Commission will table a package before the end of the year in order to make our borders fit for the future! This is not only to tackle current challenges on the ground, but the ambition is also already to counteract the trends of tomorrow!
In this regard, new technologies are also going to be mainstreamed into the strengthening of our external borders in order to build smarter borders, enabling us to facilitate legitimate travel, to enhance police and judicial cooperation, including stepping up our efforts in fighting organized crime, smuggling, and trafficking in human beings.
Lastly, as a concluding remark on current policy developments, before going over to a more practical and less political dimension, it is also important to develop and facilitate legal avenues to Europe. The Commission and the Presidency are engaged with the work on a visa reform package and a directive related to students and researchers. Legal migration is also going to be an important point for the Valletta Summit in November.
Speaking here today in front of members of trade unions representing mainly the public sector and public services, I guess it is not news to all of you that the migration crisis is also having an impact on civil servants. CESI works for public services, in the public interest. Public services are an essential pillar of society and therefore play a crucial role with regard to the current situation.
Civil servant and the public services are providing a countless number of essential services in terms of immigration. For example, deciding on the outcome of a person’s asylum application; handing out resident’s permits; arranging for accommodation; providing health care services and judicial assistance, etc.
For these efforts to be successful, a well-coordinated system is essential for the public sector to be able to work effectively and efficiently. Administrative capacities have to be aligned with current challenges. Public services are now faced with a lingering burden to help refugees in the best possible way. I have been told that Germany, for example, is stepping up to the challenge by doubling the Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge (Bamf) capacities. This is good news. However, as we know, it is not always an easy task to increase capacities in a timely manner. Procedures have to be respected and the right people to do the job are not always available – especially when it comes to migration that is rather a sensitive and delicate area. You need qualified and trained people to execute specific tasks. They have to deal with persons that are under enormous stress from their future being on the line.
Nevertheless, let us not forget that every effort is crucial. Every person counts!
Let us not also forget that we are facing a crisis that deals with human beings and not with financial or abstract concepts. In this perspective, we have to ensure that migrants’ rights are also respected and upheld. This is not only a legal, but also a moral obligation for Europe.
Integration is key when we want to succeed in managing the current migration flows in the long-term. Obviously, education is also a cornerstone for the upcoming people’s integration. Access to education and school must be granted to the children and young people. Yet it is also important that their parents and any member of the family have access to language courses or other actions that favour their integration in the long term. Children attending school can also be considered as a vehicle for their parents to learn the relevant languages.
I also would like to emphasize the civil society’s role as a key figure for integration. I could witness this determination in Luxembourg towards the expression of spontaneous acts of solidarity emanating from the civil society and single individuals, for example, via collecting clothes and other basic goods, as well as via offering shelter to refugees in their homes!
We have to prepare for the hosting of migrants in the Member States, but we also have to prepare to help the regions in Europe, and beyond, that are the most affected by the refugee flows. Therefore, the EU has invited Member states to fill the gaps in their stocks that have been created by the response to the recent Nepalese earthquake, in order to be able to deploy basic goods and shelter equipment to the most affected region. This is especially important now with the approaching of winter and the most affected regions not having the required infrastructure to accommodate all the migrants.
In this sequence of crisis – financial crisis; economic crisis; migration crisis; solidarity and confidence between European partners must be the watchwords. We must succeed in increasing our capacity to soften the blow that is asymmetrically affecting Member States.
Solidarity is a decisive element of today’s migration policy area! Only when we are all working together, Member States, Federal entities, civil servants, civil society, we can turn migration into another European success story. If we do not, then the ground will be prepared for far right parties to rise. Far right parties that will have a completely different narrative with regard to migration and border management.
This is not the Europe we want. This cannot be the Europe anyone wants that is convinced of the European ideas. Today’s actions, but also today’s lack of actions can have serious implications for the long term.
In any case, in order to achieve all the highlighted actions, the financial means are to be aligned with the political challenges of today… and tomorrow. Anticipating challenges when possible, will allow us to be better organized and less worried tomorrow. An effective system requires appropriate rules. Nevertheless, security, justice, openness and control do not constitute mutually exclusive elements.
While it is clear that immediate measure are needed to remedy the current extraordinary situation, a sustainable and comprehensive approach based on the principles of shared responsibility, mutual trust and solidarity are essential in every area of intervention.
We need more Europe and not less Europe, our answers can only be of collective nature. Europe can only manage this crisis if we act together. This, in order for our fundamental values to prevail, but also in order to enable ourselves for concrete actions on return and the protection of our external borders. Imagine one single moment an Europe without Schengen, what would this mean in terms of economic losses, employment, people-to-people contacts, tourism… ?
Finally, it is a joint European exercise that needs us to be able to define the long-term! The Presidency will continue to work in package logic, preparing the future of Schengen and the rules governing this common space. Europe should remain open for legal migration, but let me insist: migration can only happen within a legal framework with effective respect to agreed rules."