Migration experts grill MEP Claude Moraes on his resolution for a joined-up approach to addressing the myriad issues surrounding asylum, immigration and border security.

Urgent migrant action needed: is an EU holistic approach the answer?

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/11920767/n004-0016-en.srt

There's much more  to the question of migration

than urgent support for Syrian refugees,

quotas for legal migration  or controlling the Mediterranean.

According to a new resolution  in the European Parliament,

it's also about finding a holistic approach  to immigration and asylum.

We asked Civil Liberties Committee Chair  Claude Moraes what he means

and how to relaunch the debate in Europe.

Let's start with the first question,  coming from Mr Ambrosi

from the International Organization  for Migration.

President Juncker has called  for more adequate measures

and curb the irregular movement  and fatalities linked to it.

You have called on the EU  to take concrete steps in this direction.

How does your resolution  address this question?

Well, the resolution is a holistic approach  to migration, and what I tried to say in it

is that we have to take  the tough choices on migration.

the Member States need to  really wake up to what that means.

What that means is we need  a policy on managed migration.

It means that if the European Union, despite  the tough austerity we're going through...

We have to understand and admit that we  need migration, that we accept migration.

Who is doing all of these  low wage jobs all over Europe?

So this resolution is a wake-up call  to the governments and new Commission,

We must admit there is a need for migration  and it's happening.

There is still an aging population in the EU,

there is low wage migration, there is high  skilled migration, from beyond the EU.

A provocative question now  coming from the United Kingdom.

Europe has higher consumption levels  than most of the rest of the world.

Isn't it the case that stabilising  and reducing our population

protect the environment  and conserve natural resources?

What do you think about  positions like this within the UK?

I don't accept that the issue of migration  is only linked to the issue of population.

There are many other factors to population.  And migration is a global issue.

There are costs to migration  in Western European countries

We know this, it has been proven that  there is an economic benefit to migration.

Migrants pay their taxes, they are  more likely to be economically active,

more likely to claim less benefits than their  host community. We know this is a fact.

In the resolution you say  the EU should ensure

safe and legal access  to the EU asylum system.

This hasn't been done  during the Syrian crisis.

So my question is, are you confident that  this approach to asylum seekers

The EU policy towards issues like Syria  is that we have a resettlement policy.

The other policies towards issues  like the Syrian problem

The resettlement programme  is not working well.

You have very disproportionate issue  in resettlement.

You have some countries taking virtually  no Syrian refugees and some taking a lot.

So the burden-sharing element  is not happening,

which is why our resolution is  pointing toward this holistic approach.

We need the Council,  the Member States, to do their job.

The Commission is asking for it,  the EP is asking for it,

but the Member States are not  doing their job. They're not burden-sharing.

Do we need to change  the Dublin Convention for that?

The Dublin Convention exists,  it can be reformed.

You have the directives  on reception conditions,

you have the Common European  Asylum System in place.

All of that is fine.  The issue is implementation.

It's not being implemented  by the Member States.

We have a question from the Euro-  Mediterranean Human Rights Network.

The cooperation of Frontex  with third countries

is particularly important  in the Mediterranean:

the administration of the Eurosur network,

cooperation with countries like Tunisia  and Turkey, operations at sea.

This cooperation now takes place  without democratic control by the EP.

You're considering an investigation  into the situation at the Mediterranean.

Are you planning to include the key issue of  Frontex's external cooperation

which has major consequences  for migrants' rights?

The big problem with Frontex right now  is that it's a very small operation.

It's an operation of the EU, but it spots  people who are literally drowning

or at danger in the Mediterranean  at a very important time.

But Frontex is inadequate.  We need more funding for Frontex,

because it's trying to fill the gaps  left by the lack of action by Member States.