MEPs and national MPs gather virtually to discuss the way forward to manage migration and asylum in Europe. High-level speakers include David SASSOLI, EP President, Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, Wolfgang SCHAUBLE, President of the German parliament, Eduardo FERRO RODRIGUES, President of the Portuguese parliament, Igor ZORCIC, President of Slovenia’s parliament, as well as Filippo GRANDI, UNHCR High Commissioner and António VITORINO, Director General of the International Organization for Migration. Ylva JOHANSSON, European Commissioner for Home Affairs and Dr. Christos CHRISTOU, International President of Doctors Without Borders, open the Conference.

Brussels

conference

migration and refugees in Europe (T)

JOHANSSON, Ylva (SE, EC)

SEEHOFER, Horst (DE)

High Level Conference on Migration and Asylum in Europe: opening speech by Ylva JOHANSSON, European Commissioner for Home Affairs and Dr. Christos CHRISTOU, International President of Doctors Without Borders

Title: High Level Conference on Migration and Asylum in Europe: opening speech by Ylva JOHANSSON, European Commissioner for Home Affairs and by Dr. Christos CHRISTOU, International President of Doctors Without Borders (I-199207)

SOUNDBITE (English), Ylva JOHANSSON, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, We also need to realise that migration is a global phenomenon, so we need to work very closely together with third countries. We need to do much more together with partner countries to help them, that those countries that are hosting a lot of refugees today, for example, need to show solidarity towards them. We need to work closely with partner countries to fight human smugglers and traffickers to make sure that they take back their own citizens and to help to invest strategically and to build legal pathways.

SOUNDBITE (English), Ylva JOHANSSON, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, We need to reduce the irregular arrivals and instead have more people coming legally to the European Union. I don't think we need fewer migrants, but we need more migrants to come on legal pathways, both refugees and those that would like to contribute to our economy. That's why we need to focus on resettlement. We have proposed also a community sponsored resettlement scheme that we need to develop legal pathways, but also that we need to fight the human smugglers much more effectively than we have done so far. And we need to do that together with third countries.

SOUNDBITE (English), Ylva JOHANSSON, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, And those that are staying illegally in European Union, it would be more difficult to build new legal pathways. So these are linked to each other. And this is an area where we together, in your opinion, can do much more. It's quite a room for improvement here, both in the member states and in relation to third countries.

SOUNDBITE (English), Christos CHRISTOU, International President of Doctors without borders, Solidarity does not mean bargaining between states to negotiate who takes over how many, at what price or with which conditions in an effort to find political compromise, the needs of people who have been sidelined over the past five years, MSF teams have worked tirelessly to mitigate the most harmful consequences of European migration policies. Our staff has spoken out against policies which are basically responsible for this unimaginable human suffering. Time and again, European nations and institutions have failed to act in their duty. What's more, countries both within and outside Europe have taken this failure as an opportunity to roll back basic rights. So starting a race to the bottom regarding the protection of human life. I think Europe is in denial.

SOUNDBITE (German), Horst SEEHOFER, German Federal Minister of the Interior, Our goal of the German Council presidency and we agree with the European Commission on this, is to reach a political understanding on the general architecture of European asylum policy. And in the next up coming EU presidency, we would then work on this specific legislative act.