On 3rd October, Margaritis SCHINAS, from Greece, Vice-President-designate for Protecting our European Way of Life, is heard by the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) and the Committee on Culture and Education (CULT) in association with the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) of the European Parliament in Brussels to test his general competences, European commitment and specific expertise related to his portfolio. On this occasion, Margaritis SCHINAS has the opportunity to make an opening statement. The following transcription is the result of an automatic process. Check Against delivery.

Brussels

Committee on Employment and Social Affairs

Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Committee on Culture and Education

hearing

hearing of Commissioners

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

2019 Commissioners' hearings (T)

hearing of Margaritis SCHINAS 2019 (T)

Hearing of Margaritis SCHINAS, Vice-President-designate, Protecting our European Way of Life: Opening statement Margaritis SCHINAS

SOUNDBITE (English), Margaritis SCHINAS, Commissioner-designate, Protecting our European Way of Life,: Thank you President Verheyen and President Lopez Aguilar. Honorable Members. This is a very special moment for me. It is an emotional moment. Over the last 30 years on countless occasions. I have had the chance to see it in a number of committees and bodies of this institution. First as a junior official then as a manager and later as member of the European Parliament.

SOUNDBITE (English), Margaritis SCHINAS, Commissioner-designate, Protecting our European Way of Life,: But the magnitude of me sitting now in front of you as vice president designate seeking for your confidence and trust to implement a program for the next five years together with you is truly humbling. The treaty reminds us that the European Union is founded on the respect for human dignity in a society in which pluralism non-discrimination tolerance justice solidarity and equality between women and men prevail.

SOUNDBITE (English), Margaritis SCHINAS, Commissioner-designate, Protecting our European Way of Life,: In doing so the treaty for me very clearly defines my mission as Vice President. The portfolio responsibilities attributed to me ranged from education culture employment security migration to health and equality but the common thread. Of all these areas of all these policy areas is people defending this symbol but essential premise that everybody matters that none should be left behind and that all should have access to the same rights securities and opportunities.

SOUNDBITE (English), Margaritis SCHINAS, Commissioner-designate, Protecting our European Way of Life,: This is the premise. I will start from. Should they be confirmed as vice president. I see my coordinating role as bringing a significant added value in three main areas on which I will concentrate. These short introductory remarks first on making our societies fairer and more inclusive.

SOUNDBITE (English), Margaritis SCHINAS, Commissioner-designate, Protecting our European Way of Life,: Second on delivering the new pact for migration and asylum and thirdly completing our security union that addresses traditional and modern threats in all three areas the measures to be taken have to cut across existing organizational silos. My job will be to ensure we pull expertise across policy areas with a focus on people and concrete outcomes.

SOUNDBITE (English), Margaritis SCHINAS, Commissioner-designate, Protecting our European Way of Life,: I do not by any means take lightly the debate that has been triggered by the title given to this work. I have the greatest respect for all the positions and all arguments expressed in this debate. Shakespeare would have us believe that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. But names are important because they give things meaning they bring us meaning and it means something to be European.

SOUNDBITE (English), Margaritis SCHINAS, Commissioner-designate, Protecting our European Way of Life,: At its core being European means protecting the most vulnerable in our societies. It means healthcare. And welfare systems that all can access. It means having the same opportunities. It means promoting culture and sport as core elements of our systems and equipping people with a knowledge education and skills they need to live and work in dignity.

SOUNDBITE (English), Margaritis SCHINAS, Commissioner-designate, Protecting our European Way of Life,: It means feeling safe on our homes in our streets and all of the places we like to meet exchange and experience life together. Being European means being open to the world extending heart and home to those who are less fortunate. It means standing up for these values for these rights for these principles across the globe. Being European means peace freedom equality democracy and respect for human dignity.

SOUNDBITE (English), Margaritis SCHINAS, Commissioner-designate, Protecting our European Way of Life,: On a very personal note. Being European for me. Has meant living a European life. Raising a European family. And dedicating 30 years of my life to European public service. I am nothing if not for Europe. I am proud to be European and all the more so for having been given the unique opportunity to serve our union. Honourable members.

SOUNDBITE (English), Margaritis SCHINAS, Commissioner-designate, Protecting our European Way of Life,: Your committee is represented here today. Serve as drivers in making our societies more inclusive and more resilient. And I believe that together we can build a future based on access and opportunities for all. Let me start with the first chapter of these remarks making our societies fairer and more inclusive.

SOUNDBITE (English), Margaritis SCHINAS, Commissioner-designate, Protecting our European Way of Life,: We are known as societies that protect the most vulnerable in our midst. And I want this to be true across the board. If confirmed I will use the cross cutting portfolio attributed to me to promote a comprehensive approach when it comes to inclusion and integration. The establishment of a European pillar of social rights has been a landmark development but we must now make sure that all these rights and principles are brought to life in practice.

SOUNDBITE (English), Margaritis SCHINAS, Commissioner-designate, Protecting our European Way of Life,: One of my first task my main tasks will be to ensure that the future European Social Fund plus forced their social inclusion supports those most in need and helps enhance labour mobility across the EU. We need to equip our youth with the right skills to thrive in a changing world of work. We will work to make the European education area a reality and incentivise member states to reform and modernize their education and training systems including in digital learning.

SOUNDBITE (English), Margaritis SCHINAS, Commissioner-designate, Protecting our European Way of Life,: I will ensure we use the Erasmus+ the discover EU and the European solidarity corps programmes to empower our youth. And offer a new. Mobility opportunities to help ensure that no child is left behind. We shall introduce a European child guarantee to ensure children at risk of poverty or exclusion have access to most basic rights like healthcare and education. This is an idea born precisely in this Parliament and we will honour this pledge.

SOUNDBITE (English), Margaritis SCHINAS, Commissioner-designate, Protecting our European Way of Life,: I will work with a Health Commissioner to ensure we promote the inclusiveness of national health care systems and their work with the equality commissioner to ensure we promote equality at all levels including between sexes and you push for the anti-discrimination legislation and the European gender strategy that promotes equal pay for equal work. This new drive for inclusion across all spheres must include a strong and renewed push to further the integration of third country nationals.

SOUNDBITE (English), Margaritis SCHINAS, Commissioner-designate, Protecting our European Way of Life,: I intend to build on the 2016 Action Plan on the inclusion of refugees and migrants and additional funds in this area. I was glad to see that the longer term integration of migrants and refugees will be incorporated under the new European Social Fund plus. This will allow us to have more tools and more resources to support inclusion initiatives and we must not forget one of Europe's treasures, our cultural heritage that we must continue to invest in and promote inside and outside our borders.

SOUNDBITE (English), Margaritis SCHINAS, Commissioner-designate, Protecting our European Way of Life,: Sport too can have a positive impact on society in terms of health social inclusion and gender equality. If we want to help our societies and economies thrive we need to support everyone who is part of that society with inclusion being both the right and the duty for all. Let me now come to the second chapter of my work delivering the new pact on migration and asylum. This is a tall order but one I believe we can achieve by mobilizing our strengths and learning from the past.

SOUNDBITE (English), Margaritis SCHINAS, Commissioner-designate, Protecting our European Way of Life,: This new pact must be cross cutting and marry internal and external policies when it comes to very foreign to our common European asylum system. The first thing we will do together with the Commissioner for Home Affairs is engage in a dialogue with you and our member states. Have to find exactly where there is scope for compromise. Listen and establish the way forward. We will present you quickly with options that we would like to discuss and find consensus on but only then we will be putting something formally on the table.

SOUNDBITE (English), Margaritis SCHINAS, Commissioner-designate, Protecting our European Way of Life,: We will not neglect for a second the mountain of work already achieved over the past three years as well as the compromises found already on a large bulk of the reform package all of which I know very well was very much thanks to you here in this Parliament. This work will be preserved. Our internal reforms are only one part of what needs to be a much broader picture.

SOUNDBITE (English), Margaritis SCHINAS, Commissioner-designate, Protecting our European Way of Life,: As a stopgap until a new truly asylum system comes into force we need to support Member States and the members member states in concluding temporary arrangements on disembarkation. For me part of this must include pursuing a proper dialogue with a Mami and geos doing commendable search and rescue work in the Mediterranean. We need them to be part of the solution. And today on the tragic anniversary of the Lampedusa. Tragedy. This is true than ever before.

SOUNDBITE (English), Margaritis SCHINAS, Commissioner-designate, Protecting our European Way of Life,: All proposals and initiatives of the new pact will be done with the aim a partial claim of lifting internal border controls and returning to a fully functioning Schengen area. A credible system for asylum must also protect against abuses of the system. I will lead a renewed drive to set up returns of those with no right to stay.

SOUNDBITE (English), Margaritis SCHINAS, Commissioner-designate, Protecting our European Way of Life,: Firstly by completing the reform of our EU internal rules or return. And secondly by concluding readmission agreements and arrangements with priority countries of transit and origin. It is now high time to use all tools at our disposal in support of our priorities in the area. And finally building on legal pile on on pilot projects on legal migration. What are under way. I will promote modern and targeted legal migration schemes that respond to the needs of the EU economy labour market and demographic challenges.

SOUNDBITE (English), Margaritis SCHINAS, Commissioner-designate, Protecting our European Way of Life,: And we will ensure that humanitarian corridors are set up along the model of the emergency transit mechanisms through Niger and now also Rwanda. Finally moving on to my responsibilities regarding our security union the values that we stand for must not only be championed but also secured against what challenges them. This is the same union that sets world standards on data protection and privacy and I'm very concerned that my role is also to ensure that whatever we do in security respects fundamental rights the respect of fundamental rights needs to be designed into policies from the start.

SOUNDBITE (English), Margaritis SCHINAS, Commissioner-designate, Protecting our European Way of Life,: This will also guide my work in implementing the interoperability proposals which will be particularly important as we move to launch our new information systems. I will place a relentless emphasis on implementation of what we have collectively agreed. I will promote a coordinated approach to protecting Europeans online through the adoption of our terrorist online content proposal by inputting the Digital Services Act to come. And by investing in the work of the new internet forum. I will use any possibility I have to build they use resilience and response to hybrid threats which threaten our systems and our very democracies.

Speaker: Lladies and gentlemen Honourable members I was a Member of this House and I know full well that this is where the heart of democracy beats. This is where our laws are adopted in our future is shaped. This parliament your parliament was elected with the highest number of votes in the last 20 years. This showcases the fact that European citizens are actively involved.

SOUNDBITE (English), Margaritis SCHINAS, Commissioner-designate, Protecting our European Way of Life,: They take part and shape the future of our democracy. We mustn't let them down. This also means that I consider myself fully accountable to you and I commit to the full transparency when it comes to my work.

SOUNDBITE (Greeknglish), Margaritis SCHINAS, Commissioner-designate, Protecting our European Way of Life,SOUNDBITE (Greek)Margaritis SCHINAS, Commissioner-designate, Protecting our European Way of Life,SOUNDBITE (Greek) Margaritis SCHINAS, Commissioner-designate, Protecting our European Way of Life,: Ladies and gentlemen. I commit to applying the highest ethical standards and utmost transparency and compliance with the treaty and the code of conduct of the commissioners. I will work in a collegial manner with my colleagues and I will will work tirelessly with you for a safer and more secure Europe that offers more equality and doesn't exclude anyone.

SOUNDBITE (English), Margaritis SCHINAS, Commissioner-designate, Protecting our European Way of Life,SOUNDBITE (Greek) Margaritis SCHINAS, Commissioner-designate, Protecting our European Way of Life,: Above all I wholeheartedly commit to making people my ultimate priority beyond political party positions and national borders. Our European Union has to be a union of people of human beings. It has to be a union where no one will fall by the wayside. A union of citizens that live in cohesive and tolerant societies. Thank you very much.