Visit of an EP Delegation of the Committee on Civil liberties, Justice and Home affairs (LIBE) to Lebanon. Press conference and&nbsp;final statement by Claude MORAES (S&amp;D, UK), Chair of the EP LIBE Committee. Meeting with International Organisation for migration (IOM)

meeting

visit

EU - Lebanon (T)

Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

MORAES, Claude (S&D, UK)

EP delegation

press conference

Beirut

Lebanon

LIBE Delegation to Lebanon: extracts from the press conference and final statement by Claude MORAES (S&D, UK), Chair of the EP LIBE Committee;

Cutaways from the final press conference (5 shots)

Claude MORAES, Head of Delegation and LIBE Chair, SOUNDBITE, There need&rsquo;s to be a plan, there need&rsquo;s to be a political solution, we heard that very clearly, as European parliamentariasn we understand that Lebanon is a country that is taking a huge global burden of refugees, we get this, we understand this, and we on the LIBE Committee work intensively to build a better resettlement and relocation programme. One of our members is the rapporteur for relocation, we will be working on relocation and we know the numbers are small for the European Union but we want to coordinate it better, and this is the message that we are taking back to the European Parliament.

Claude MORAES, Head of Delegation and LIBE Chair, SOUNDBITE, So our message is very clear, we&rsquo;re contributing to the region development and humanitarian aid, but we must also politically seek solutions, we must also understand that these solutions will realistically lie in the future legislation which must be implemented by our member states. Responsibility sharing, the distribution key, a better ressetlement policy, better relocation... We know we are not getting this right in the EU, but for the sake of the region and for Lebanon we need to get that right.

Claude MORAES, Head of Delegation and LIBE Chair, SOUNDBITE, in English, Member states they really need to move to a situation where there is better responisbility sharing, not just the big numbers of some countries and not others, this is not a sustaible situation. So there are no promises that suddenly a 10% from Lebanon comes to Europe. It's just not going to be as you say a credible promise.

European flag on the exterior of the EU Delegation to Lebanon

Meeting with the IOM (International Migration Organisation) (6 shots)

Claude MORAES, Head of Delegation and LIBE Chair, SOUNDBITE, in English, The key elements of what we had in our deeper understanding is that it is completely obvius that in the Syrian crisis a ceasefire has to happen, because that continuous suffering is feeding into this almost global nightmare facing this small country Lebanon. 

Claude MORAES, Head of Delegation and LIBE Chair, SOUNDBITE, in English, We need more organisation, responsibility sharing, better certainty, because what we do well in humanitarian aid, and we can be proud of; but where we need to think more carefully is how globally, along with other Western countries, Canada, America, but the EU.. how we can meet our international obligations in responsibility sharing,on asylum. And I think we will take from this visit a deeper understanding of how we can meet better legislation which we hope that the member states of the EU will implement.

Claude MORAES, Head of Delegation and LIBE Chair, SOUNDBITE, in English, this is the message that we have, we are not making big promises but we want to have a deeper understanding that we go back to the European Parliament and we have a better set of policies, we invited members of the Lebanese Parliament to come to the EP and also make their case.