Meeting of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs&nbsp;with Frans TIMMERMANS, First Vice-President of the EC in charge of Better Regulation, Inter-Institutional Relations, the Rule of Law and the Charter of Fundamental Rights, at the EP in Brussels. Statements by Frans TIMMERMANS, First Vice-President of the EC in charge of Better Regulation, Inter-Institutional Relations, the Rule of Law and the Charter of Fundamental Rights Monika HOHLMEIER (EPP, DE), Marju LAURISTIN (S&amp;D, EE), Timothy KIRKHOPE (ECR, UK) and Cecilia WIKSTR&Ouml;M (ALDE, SE)

Brussels

exchange of views

Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

respect for human rights in the world (T)

TIMMERMANS, Frans (NL, EC)

WIKSTRÖM, Cecilia (ALDE, SE)

HOHLMEIER, Monika (EPP, DE)

LAURISTIN, Marju (S&D, EE)

KIRKHOPE, Timothy (ECR, UK)

Rule of Law and Charter of Fundamental Rights: extracts from the exchange of views with Frans TIMMERMANS, First Vice-President of the EC

SOUNDBITE (English), Frans TIMMERMANS, First Vice-President of the EC , I believe that there will be no EU, no European integration, as long as some of our minorities populations have the fear as expressed in pools, both in France and the UK, that there might not be a future for them in Europe. If there is still the feeling in our Jewish community that there is no future for them in Europe, than there is no future for Europe. So if we talk about the rule of law, if we talk about fundamental rights, we talk about Europe, the essence of Europe.

SOUNDBITE (English), Frans TIMMERMANS, First Vice-President of the EC , When we talk about the rule of law in Europe, when we talk about fundamental rights in Europe, it is a precondition to be able to build a common market, to be able to build Euro, to be able to build European policies in all the areas we want to try to build these policies in the next couple of years.

SOUNDBITE (German), Monika HOHLMEIER (EPP, DE), I will want to know if there is a rapid solution for PNR. Do you think  within the Europol we can have an improved data processing, by pooling the data in the member states?

SOUNDBITE (English), Marju LAURISTIN (S&amp;D, EE), How you can insure, what's the method , the working habit, the practice, that the human rights will be taken in to account by all Commissioners, at all  levels, in all documents?

SOUNDBITE (English), Timothy KIRKHOPE (ECR, UK), How we can solve the issue of third countries immigration, and asylum, of course?  Some member states seems to be failing to fulfill even their basic obligations of fundamental rights, in relation to processing, in detention conditions.

SOUNDBITE (English), Cecilia WIKSTR&#214;M (ALDE, SE), As you know the Parliament adopted in 2013 a rapport on the situation of fundamental rights, standards and practices in Hungary. This report point out a number of deficiencies, and unfortunately we stick to see that there is a need for a Hearing tomorrow. We asked in the report for the creation of a Copenhagen Commission, that could insure compliance with fundamental rights by every member state.

SOUNDBITE (English), Frans TIMMERMANS, First Vice-President of the EC , The fundamental question here to be asked is : How is it possible that young people who were born here, and very often even their parents were born here, whom, most of them had a decent education - as they are not the ones in the worst social or educational situation -  at one point embraces an ideology of death?

SOUNDBITE (English), Frans TIMMERMANS, First Vice-President of the EC , None of the terrorists that have now shocked  out Europe where in a poverty situation. The fact that people have no perspective in the society, that is something that is worrying. The simple fact that young people from our continent, Europeans, go out there because they feel that this very dangerous prophets of deaths embrace them and say them 'come here, here you belong, here we will give you warmth, here you are part of society'. Why can't we do the same?   This is a very interesting question. I believe the answer will be education and social inclusion, and all sorts of other measures.

SOUNDBITE (English), Frans TIMMERMANS, First Vice-President of the EC , The fact is that we have to create a clear difference between terrorism on the one hand, and those they say they work for on the other. I believe that if we create that distinction you isolate them, you isolate them from the muslim community, that is the best way to tackle them.

SOUNDBITE (English), Frans TIMMERMANS, First Vice-President of the EC , We believe it is necessary, it is wanted, - some of you might not want it -  but we do believe that there is added value on European PNR. Willing at the individual national bases to share information with US , I think it should be possible that we should be also able to share information amongst European nations.

SOUNDBITE (English), Frans TIMMERMANS, First Vice-President of the EC , <p>(on immigration)</p>  <p>All member states are suffering, and there is hardly any member state that doesn't have a problem with this. So it is high time that we have a comprehensive approach to the issue of migration, because there is a need to tackle asylum. That is very, very urgent indeed,  but by tackling asylum we have to be very careful that we don't kill the opportunity of having migration we want.</p>

SOUNDBITE (English), Frans TIMMERMANS, First Vice-President of the EC , On Hungary, what I will do is - and I think this is the Commission's role - I will use all the instruments at the Commission's disposal to look into specific issues of human rights and rule of law, in all member states where this is warned, including in Hungary.