Second High-level Interparliamentary Conference on Migration and Asylum in Europe in the European Parliament in Brussels. Closing ceremony, Final statements by David SASSOLI, EP President and by Eduardo FERRO RODRIGUES, President of the Portuguese Assembleia República, Musical moment by 'The Orquesta Geraçào". This transcription speech is the result of an automatic process. Check against delivery.

Second High-level Interparliamentary Conference on Migration and Asylum: Closing ceremony

Title: Second High-level Interparliamentary Conference on Migration and Asylum: Closing ceremony

SOUNDBITE (Portuguese), Eduardo FERRO RODRIGUES, President of the Portuguese Assembleia Rep&#250;blica, The trialogue declarations was signed between the Assembly of the Republic and the German and Slovenian parliaments. The parliaments have worked together throughout the six months. We think that continuing with this initiative, which was launched by the Bundestag, was indeed an a priority for the Portuguese assembly. Our Slovenian colleagues will continue to focus on this initiative. We know that the issue of migration is extremely complex and that member states sometimes have divergent views. Migration needs to remain on the agenda and dialogue and exchange of ideas is essential for us to understand each other. Especially when we're talking about the national parliaments and how we can give a good example from the political side in the member states. We see that nearly all opinions are represented in parliaments.

SOUNDBITE (Portuguese), Eduardo FERRO RODRIGUES, President of the Portuguese Assembleia Rep&#250;blica, Now, Covid-19, of course, complicated things in the field of asylum and migration. We know that it led to issues of fundamental rights, employment services for citizens and health care. It had a huge economic impact, including on public finances. And during the discussions that we've held, we had the privilege to work with Antonio Vitorino, the head of the International Migration Office, and we also worked with the European agencies on this very complex issue. Now, Antonio Vitorino proposed looking at this from a global point of view and we know that migration and asylum are both global issues.

SOUNDBITE (Portuguese), Eduardo FERRO RODRIGUES, President of the Portuguese Assembleia Rep&#250;blica, Let me just say thank you once again to all the colleagues in the trio presidency. So our colleagues from Germany and Slovenia and, on behalf of myself and on behalf of the Portuguese Assembly, I want to thank you for the really good cooperation that we've had throughout these last six months with the European Parliament and in particular with its president, David Sassoli. We will continue to talk to you. We've had continual individual contact throughout the presidency as well. And we'll continue to do so. We talked about what's going on in the US and the new Biden presidency and everything that's happened in the American Congress as well. And we certainly hope that that will lead to positive outcomes for Europe and for the world, because this is no longer just the bipolar world. And we've seen what's happened around the world, in any event. Thank you very much for your cooperation.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President, Dear president Eduardo Ferro Rodr&iacute;gues, my dear colleagues and friends, members of the associations. Allow me to begin by thanking the rapporteurs and the members of the national parliaments and those of the European Parliament. Chairman L&oacute;pez Aguilar, I'd like to thank them for participating in this conference. I'm sure that this will help us. It will help us to integrate into our legislative work the plan that we need to come up with the post Covid plan so that we don't go back to things as they were before. We will need new rules and we want to give the full sense to the ideas of humanity and justice.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President, At the opening session, I said that I was convinced that the voice of parliaments is an essential one. Is essential for our dialogue, and it's essential to meet the expectations of our communities and our different regions. Today we have managed to develop some ideas which we can adopt to further improve our work on this particularly important topic. I think that we've heard about a lot of significant experiences and we've heard about useful results, which we can use as a starting points for the work to be done in the coming months.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President, Vice President of the Commission, Commissioner Schiners, I said that the pandemic has brought up a number of different issues to do with asylum and migration and the effect that those have on our society. Thus are hindered the development of the weaker economies. I also wanted to mention on the accounts that we've heard from the NGO "Operazione Colomba", which I expressed the sensations of solitude that many face in tackling this drama. We have to try and overcome that loneliness, that solitude. And today, the European Parliament has understood the need for high level political and legislative action, coupled with a public debate. And this is a positive response which recognises the benefits which arise from migration.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President, We should be pragmatic in our approach and we have to work to make sure that everybody's interests are taken into account at the highest level. It's through that, that we can change the situation. We need new rules. Last week before the G7, I had a long conversation with Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the United States Congress, and she asked for greater cooperation between the parliaments in Europe and the European Parliament with the Congress of the United States, precisely on the issue of asylum, migration.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President, Now, of course, we are talking about different context, but these could provide us with common approaches which will help in tackling this change, which affect all democratic systems. We need to rise to the challenge. We need to go further. We need to be ambitious. And we should use this time of pain and difficulty to try and find new rules, breaking taboos. Going beyond what we've done before.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President, I'm satisfied about the High Level Conference, in conjunction with the national parliaments and the European Parliament to strengthen interinstitutional cooperation in immigration and asylum, in full respect of the different competences.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President, And I would like to continue by once again thanking participants for their involvement. I'd like to thank the services of the European Parliament, which have allowed the organisation of this day to take place. Thanks to them, we've been able to exchange views and assessments and ideas. From all of the different corners of the European Union are now rolling off. We're going to have a musical moment, something which has been put together by the Youth Generation Orchestra, the "The Gere&ccedil;&agrave;o Orchestra", from the last movement of the Fourth Symphony of Joly Braga Santos, the conductor is Ulysses Ascanio. Thank you. Thank you for your interest in such a useful day for everybody.

Musical moment by 'The Orquesta Gera&ccedil;&agrave;o"

Second High-level Interparliamentary Conference on Migration and Asylum: Closing ceremony

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