Members of the EP Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) exchange views concerning the Greek/Turkish border and respect for fundamental rights with Ylva JOHANSSON, Commissioner for Home Affairs, Michalis CHRISOCHOIDIS, Greek Minister for Citizen protection, Notis MITARACHI, Greek Minister for Migration and Asylum, and with Fabrice LEGGERI, Executive Director of the European Union Agency (Frontex) and Minos MOUZOURAKIS, Legal Officer at Refugee Support Aegean (RSA). Statements by Elissavet VOZEMBERG-VRIONIDI (EPP, EL), Domènec RUIZ DEVESA (S&D, ES), Sophia IN'T VELD (RE, NL), Tineke STRIK (Greens/EFA, NL), Juan Fernando LÓPEZ AGUILAR (S&D, ES), LIBE Chair.

Brussels

exchange of views

EU - Greece (T)

meeting

EU - Türkiye (T)

Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

respect for human rights in the world (T)

migration and refugees in Europe (T)

VOZEMBERG-VRIONIDI, Elissavet (EPP, EL)

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

IN 'T VELD, Sophia (Renew, NL)

surveillance of the external borders of the EU (T)

KOUMOUTSAKOS, Georgios (EPP, EL)

RUIZ DEVESA, Domènec (S&D, ES)

STRIK, Tineke (Greens/EFA, NL)

JOHANSSON, Ylva (SE, EC)

The situation at the Greek/Turkish border and respect for fundamental rights: extracts from the exchange of views in LIBE

Title: The situation at the Greek/Turkish border and respect for fundamental rights: extracts from the exchange of views in LIBE

SOUNDBITE (English), Notis Mitarachi, Greek Minister for Migration and Asylum, Now, as regards the situation in the islands, we should note that we transferred from the island to the mainland in the first half of 2020, 17.000 people compared to 7000 last year in the same period. That is an increase of 134%. And despite the flaws I described before, we have reduced residents in the camps by 23 % since the beginning of the year. Now to 29.000 from 38.000. And despite new arrivals and despite the pressure of the pandemic, we issued 46000 asylum decisions. An increase of 88 % in a year. We believe it is fundamentally, important to issue fair decisions, but also in a timely manner. And now we have 100.000 cases left compared to 140.000 pending at the beginning of the year.

SOUNDBITE (English), Georgios KOUMOUTSAKOS, Greek minister, Up to now, 11 EU partners have expressed their willingness to accept unaccompanied minors, together with two more states, non EU members, namely Norway and Serbia. More than 120 children have been already relocated. We strongly believe that this initiative should lead the way in terms of the much needed solidarity and shared responsibility in support of the overburdened frontline countries like Greece.

SOUNDBITE (English), Ylva JOHANSSON, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Children and teenagers living on their own in unacceptable conditions. Since we last discussed in April, member states have increased their pledges and many more countries have come on board. So I can announce that tomorrow, 25 children and teenagers will find a welcome in Portugal. And on Wednesday, 25 more will find a welcome in Finland. And we have an ongoing process to send all these unaccompanied minors and also now including sick children with their families to, welcoming states. Not everybody is entitled to asylum status, but everyone is entitled to treatment according to our values. When people apply for asylum, they appeal to European values and that appeal we must honor.

SOUNDBITE (Greek), Elissavet VOZEMBERG-VRIONIDI (EPP, EL), There has been some fake news going around for the past 4 months that allegedly we have had victims or that we have had pushbacks , as a Miss Johansson mentioned, either on the border, on Evros or on the islands. This is not only not true, but unfortunately, these fake news have also been adopted by part of the foreign press, and that means that Greece is being slandered without any proof.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), Dom&#232;nec RUIZ DEVESA (S&amp;D, ES), So I can understand and agree with what you say about the need for a compulsory relocation mechanism in Europe for those migrants who've been rescued at sea. But while we wait for this, we can't really seal off the border in this way. And we think that those measures are really unacceptable.

SOUNDBITE (English), Sophia IN&apos;T VELD (RE, NL), The Greek border is a European border. The refugees in Greece are refugees in Europe. They are a common responsibility. So we desperately need a plan for a comprehensive asylum and migration policy. And we've been waiting for that for months and months and months. And we keep getting signals that it's going to be pushed back further and further. And we need for the Commission to stop catering to the unconstructive and the uncooperative member states, start working with the majority of member states who desperately wants a common European policy.

SOUNDBITE (English), Tineke STRIK (Greens/EFA, NL), What message does the Commission send to the governments of other member states if it remains silent when people are shot at the doorstep? That all actions are admissible as long as it comes, as people are stopped at the borders? The tendency of increased violence or violations at the EU borders requires a strong response from the Commission, including measures on independent monitoring. But most of all, effective enforcement and ban impunity.

SOUNDBITE (English), Juan Fernando L&#211;PEZ AGUILAR (S&amp;D, ES), Chairman, Alleged violations of fundamental rights of asylum seekers being abused, harassed, humiliated, let alone, say, tortured, at the borders of European Union member state, be it Greece or Croatia - because recently we have also heard allegations of that kind worries some kind in declaration external border of the European Union have - have to be thoroughly investigated.

SOUNDBITE (Greek), Michalis Chrisochoidis, Greek Minister for Citizen Protection, We are a small country. We have tens of thousands of migrants. Last year, we had 500 people arriving every single day. And Greece has opened its arms. So it is unacceptable. When you talk about far right and I ask you to take that back and if you really believe in those value, I would like to ask you to make an effort to convince your governments to do something in practice, to have solidarity in practice and to have a new asylum policy that will really do something.