First Vice-President Frans Timmermans' Introductory Remarks

European Commission - Speech

First Vice-President Frans Timmermans' Introductory Remarks at the Commission Press Conference Brussels, 13 May 2015 I am very happy that we can now - Federica Mogherini, Dimitris Avramopoulos and myself - present to you the comprehensive plan on migration as decided upon by the Commission just now. Of course we need to deal with the main threat that we see now, which is the tragedy in the Mediterranean. And after the European Council which clearly stated that there is a need for European solidarity to face this issue, President Juncker was very clear. He said the Commission will come up with plans both for the immediate but also a more structured plan for the future to make sure that we are more able to tackle emergencies when they occur. But also, that we must address the more fundamental issues of migration both in terms of making our asylum policy work and also looking at the issue of legal migration, which as the President has said clearly in the European Parliament is linked with the issue of illegal migration and asylum. The aim of the European Agenda on Migration We want to turn the words that were spoken on solidarity and responsibility into action. We also know that this is a very complex subject. That we need a comprehensive approach because all elements are important and you can't single out one, and that you need an operational plan for facing the immediate crisis situation together with Member States. We will come with a first series of concrete proposals already by the end of this month. We are also looking beyond the immediate crisis and setting out a long term strategy to manage migration better, in Europe, and with our partners outside. A structured system of crisis response The first part of the Agenda presents immediate measures to prevent human tragedies and to reinforce mechanisms to deal with emergencies. This is a tool box designed to respond to the immediate challenges in the Mediterranean but also a blue-print for any future crises wherever they may emerge on our common border: We are increasing the funding and resources for Triton, helping to manage our borders and to save lives. We are taking measures to combat the cruel and opportunistic people smugglers – by disrupting their 'business model'. And, we are proposing Hot Spot teams to give support on the ground in Member States where the pressure is worst - to help identify, register and fingerprint incoming migrants. Relocation By the end of this month the Commission will propose a temporary relocation mechanism to help relieve the immediate and exceptional pressure on frontline countries. People in need, who have already reached our shores, will be distributed to other Member States who will then take care of their reception and asylum processing. The Commission has tabled a distribution key (by you [the press] commonly referred to as 'quotas') today which gives meaning to what intra EU solidarity should look like for each Member State and the Union as a whole. Resettlement In parallel, we want to create safe and legal channels for those who really need protection to get to Europe without risking their lives at the hands of merciless smugglers. We are therefore proposing a humanitarian resettlement scheme, working with the UNHCR. We are putting an extra €50 million into this scheme, which should result in resettling 20,000 people into the EU over two years. Long term strategy The biggest gift that we can give to populists and extremists, who argue against immigration, is to allow a broken system to remain broken. The rules are not broken. They're not applied properly. It's time for Europe to apply its existing rules properly. Citizens must have confidence that we will offer help to those who are persecuted or fleeing war, but also that we effectively register and manage those who arrive, and return those who do not qualify for asylum. We must also discuss legal migration. "Legal migration is part of the solution in the medium term and so we must act on that" – these are the words spoken by President Juncker in the European Parliament. But if we want legal migration to succeed, which is also a necessity for the future of our societies and of our economy, we need our citizens to support the idea. But they will only support this idea if we have well-functioning asylum policies, and return policies and all the other issues that I mentioned. In Conclusion, yes, these are challenging proposals. Yes, they will prompt debate and attract criticism. But it is not acceptable for people around the EU to say 'yes, stop people dying in the Mediterranean' and at the same time remain silent when the question is raised of what should happen to these people once they were saved in the Mediterranean. Federica and Dimitris will present the Agenda in more detail now. What we're trying to do is to assist our Member States, and to do what our citizens ask of us. Namely, to stop a humanitarian tragedy from continuing in the Mediterranean, but also to offer long- term sustainable solutions to a problem that will not go away simply by ignoring it. SPEECH/15/4985