A LIBE delegation (Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs) is on a mission on search and rescue in Lampedusa (Sicily - Italy). Juan Fernando LÓPEZ AGUILAR (S&D, ES), Chair of the LIBE delegation, holds a press point. The transcription is the result of an automatic process. Please, check against delivery.

press point

visit

Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Immigration (T2)

EP delegation

press conference

LÓPEZ AGUILAR, Juan Fernando (S&D, ES)

death of migrants in the Mediterranean Sea (T)

Italy

asylum, migration and integration fund (T)

Lampedusa

Press conference by Juan Fernando LÓPEZ AGUILAR (S&D, ES), Chair of the LIBE delegation to Sicily (Lampedusa), Mission on Search And Rescue

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Juan Fernando L&Oacute;PEZ AGUILAR (S&amp;D, ES), Chair of the LIBE delegation, Thank you. Hello to everyone. Thank you for being here and this conference address to sum up our two days of delegations, this is a delegation representing the European Parliament. The European Parliament is the only body to be directly elected by the people of Europe. So I'd like to just underlined the democratic nature of the European Parliament.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Juan Fernando LÓPEZ AGUILAR (S&D, ES), Chair of the LIBE delegation, So we have a pluralist delegation. I'd like to express thanks for my colleagues for these two days of work. And this is an institutional mission. So, of course, when I talk about pluralism, that includes and reflects the pluralism of the political groups. So here we are representing the European Parliament.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Juan Fernando LÓPEZ AGUILAR (S&D, ES), Chair of the LIBE delegation, And Parliament legislates on migration and asylum and it's no longer an exclusive province of the Member States, but is also dealt with at the European level, which is why we're here. So we have had a very intensive agenda. We also have spoken with humanitarian and NGOs and other organisations, but first and foremost those who are in the front line and to be spot by the Italian Coast Guard.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Juan Fernando LÓPEZ AGUILAR (S&D, ES), Chair of the LIBE delegation, And I wanted to pay a tribute and thank for the testimony we received from the Mayor of Lampedusa, from the prefecture of Agrigento, from the prefecture Zito, who is in charge of the Migration Policy in the Interior Ministry. And then Konstantinos, by his representing Frontex here in Lampedusa.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Juan Fernando LÓPEZ AGUILAR (S&D, ES), Chair of the LIBE delegation, And then what we have heard from the two major Italian agencies. I think are the Coast Guard and and the finance. We heard from a number of vessels and with whom we spent the day yesterday. So UNHCR, the international migration organisation UNICEF, Red Cross and they're in charge of the hotspot now we saw it this morning.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Juan Fernando LÓPEZ AGUILAR (S&D, ES), Chair of the LIBE delegation, And we also had time to talk to Open Arms, made the sounds of Frontier, Rescue ship. Now here and today, I mediterraneo along with sea. But. So as I said, it's been a very comprehensive agenda covering a lot of areas. And I'd like to reaffirm my thanks for all of the people and organisations we heard.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Juan Fernando LÓPEZ AGUILAR (S&D, ES), Chair of the LIBE delegation, It wasn't just a matter of us listening and taking note. It's a matter really of seeing how we can build what we hear into our work when we legislate on Migration and Asylum, and to see to it that legislation that now is in the works in the European Parliament to see how we can make it better, but for the end of this Parliament's term.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Juan Fernando LÓPEZ AGUILAR (S&D, ES), Chair of the LIBE delegation, So, that there be more a better response when it comes to the needs of Lampedusa, Sicily, Italy and our frontline services. In the work, some visits to frontline places, we've been to some skills, Malta and even Spain, to the south of Spain and the Canaries. So, this time we're going to Lampedusa because it is Europe, it is Europe. Oh, Italy is Europe, it's Europe.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Juan Fernando LÓPEZ AGUILAR (S&D, ES), Chair of the LIBE delegation, And Lampedusa needs a European scale response and it needs an efficient European response. So not only have we taken note, we also tried to squeeze out of every one we heard how we can improve EU legislation and come up with a new immigration and asylum pact. And there's five European laws. There are, I beg you, regulations, that are immediately binding on Member States. So it's a balanced approach we're looking for.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Juan Fernando LÓPEZ AGUILAR (S&D, ES), Chair of the LIBE delegation, So, the two basic principles that underpin the migration and asylum shared responsibility and solidarity, and the European Parliament has a bet on solidarity that it should be binding. And in the event of an emergency. Lampedusa daily, has been dealing with crises and emergencies. One of the rules of this package of this pact is to provide a more efficient, more effective answer with more solidarity, and to see that the front line places get more help from Europe.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Juan Fernando LÓPEZ AGUILAR (S&D, ES), Chair of the LIBE delegation, And we not just listen, but try to do our utmost to improve the situation, which we all agree is unacceptable. I mean, it's just unacceptable. And I would add that yesterday we had a very close contact with the Coast Guard, onboard the Latino and we saw the officers. And we talked to them and thanks to them, we feel affection towards them for the work they do day in, day in saving people at sea 24/7.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Juan Fernando L&Oacute;PEZ AGUILAR (S&amp;D, ES), Chair of the LIBE delegation, And we had a change to agenda yesterday because the only possibility of a going on board was in the morning because that very day in the afternoon, the evening, they have to carry out a mission and they have taken place. And once again, we're talking about tragedies that happened in Lampedusian waters. We had the tragedy in Greece.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Juan Fernando LÓPEZ AGUILAR (S&D, ES), Chair of the LIBE delegation, And last night there was another save and rescue operation on the basis of what we've heard there, it's people who have died. I see this, there's a number of victims. The vessel capsized for a number of victims this morning when we were visiting the hotspot, we were told, and it's been confirmed, a two year old toddler died. That is a tragedy.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Juan Fernando LÓPEZ AGUILAR (S&D, ES), Chair of the LIBE delegation, I mean, that pains all of us and as I said, the situation is just unacceptable. So it's not just a matter of showing solidarity at the European level. We have to make clear to Lampedusa that there's a backup plan where we will have a European network of solidarity when it comes to our response. So, of course, there's illicit trafficking, traffickers and people being exploited.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Juan Fernando LÓPEZ AGUILAR (S&D, ES), Chair of the LIBE delegation, So we have to undermine their business model and allow for safe pathways into Europe with the hope that these, that, as we just heard about the death of a two year old toddler, there's got to be a way not just to reduce these fatalities, but to put an end to it.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Juan Fernando LÓPEZ AGUILAR (S&D, ES), Chair of the LIBE delegation, So our work is going to go on at the European Parliament and our determination is to come up with this migration and asylum package that could be something constructive and could give rise to hope in Lampedusa and Sicily, and also for all of Europe, so that we, all of us in Europe have a responsibility vis a vis Lampedusa. And we have to be on the front line in Lampedusa and we're looking for the question and answers.

Q&A, Question regarding the human corridors.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Juan Fernando LÓPEZ AGUILAR (S&D, ES), Chair of the LIBE delegation, Conclusions by the Chair of the delegation.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Juan Fernando LÓPEZ AGUILAR (S&D, ES), Chair of the LIBE delegation, I simply like to say that this visit has and as instructive as ever as this mission. So, it's all right and that's why we're here. The reason is to see things firsthand. And this is something of European interest this morning. I dare say that we heard the very outspoken complaints of the Mayor of Lampedusa.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Juan Fernando LÓPEZ AGUILAR (S&D, ES), Chair of the LIBE delegation, We got a reminder that Lampedusa is as European as Dublin, as Berlin, as Paris, as Madrid, as Prague or Budapest. Lampedusa is Europe, fully European. And warrants and deserves a better treatment, better than what it's received so far.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Juan Fernando LÓPEZ AGUILAR (S&D, ES), Chair of the LIBE delegation, So, I would just like to underscore that independently of our political differences, we have plenty of political differences in the Parliament and in the And warrants and deserves a better treatment, better than what it's received so far LIBE Committee, but this delegation is firm on this.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Juan Fernando LÓPEZ AGUILAR (S&D, ES), Chair of the LIBE delegation, And since the Committee said, Lampedusa is Europe and it needs to get a better response of what it's perceived so far. We are aware of the efforts that are made internally in Italy. These transfers of migrants, and on a daily basis it costs a lot of money. But, people I shifted from the hotspot to Sicily or to the mainland, and I would draw a parallel with what one sees in Spain, where there's cuts of the transfer every day.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Juan Fernando LÓPEZ AGUILAR (S&D, ES), Chair of the LIBE delegation, The transfers from the Canaries to the mainland every day vessels turn up. Sometimes it's only hundreds, sometimes it's thousands. But it's day in, day out. So, people, the officials there say the same thing. It's the mayor of Lampedusa. It's Europe. And those who turn up in the Canaries they'd avoided, if they could, all they do, it's what they came to Europe.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Juan Fernando LÓPEZ AGUILAR (S&D, ES), Chair of the LIBE delegation, They wanted to get into the European Union and the gateway to Europe should be moved to the heart of Europe. So we want to contribute to our best to improve the quality of the European response for Lampedusa and for Europe.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Juan Fernando LÓPEZ AGUILAR (S&D, ES), Chair of the LIBE delegation, If there are no further questions, well then I believe we can consider this is very nice and thanks so much to all of those who contributed to this mission, both the officials and the authorities. So, thank you very much for being here for this press conference. Thank you.