Debate during the plenary session of July in Strasbourg on the European border and coast guard. Statements by Artis PABRIKS (LT, EPP), Rapporteur, 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, Dimitris AVRAMOPOULOS, Member of the EC in charge of Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, Alain CADEC (EPP, FR), from EP Committee on Fisheries, Monika HOHLMEIER (EPP, DE) and P&eacute;ter NIEDERM&Uuml;LLER (S&amp;D, HU).

Strasbourg

debate

TIMMERMANS, Frans (NL, EC)

AVRAMOPOULOS, Dimitris (EL, EC)

HOHLMEIER, Monika (EPP, DE)

surveillance of the external borders of the EU (T)

NIEDERMÜLLER, Péter (S&D, HU)

CADEC, Alain (EPP, FR)

PABRIKS, Artis (EPP, LV)

European Border and Coast Guard: extracts from the debate

SOUNDBITE (English), Artis PABRIKS (EPP, LV), Rapporteur, The European Border and Coast Guard agency, the decision about the Border and Coast Guard agency, is a decision that actually shows that we can make decisions in a speedy and very efficient way.

SOUNDBITE (English), Artis PABRIKS (EPP, LV), We are really strengthening the efficiency and the capacity of the existing FRONTEX, first time in the European history. We do have 1500 people strong reaction force consisting of border guards from the Member countries. Secondly what we reached as a compromise in Trialogue with Council and Commission, that these people are not bare handed in supporting some of the Member countries, which are facing challenges at the external borders, but they will be also provided with necessary modern equipment, starting maybe with night vision googles and perhaps ending with planes and ships as needed. Thirdly I would also say that the big success is the question about positioning liaison officers in the countries with external border.

SOUNDBITE (English), 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, The agreement reached achieves all the objectives set out. It will lay ground for an effective and integrated management of our external borders with a strong focus on prevention. It will be based on the principles of solidarity and shared responsibility and it will ensure that all our external borders will be managed according to the same high standards without effecting the primary responsibility of each Member state and the management of their part of the external border.

SOUNDBITE (English), Dimitris AVRAMOPOULOS, Member of the EC in charge of Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, The new regulation establishes a rapid reaction pool of border guards and other relevant staff as well as a rapid reaction equipment pool to be made available to the agency and whenever needed for rapid border interventions. We won't have to face again what is of the main weaknesses of the current system where FRONTEX has to rely on voluntary and often insufficient pledges by the member states.

SOUNDBITE (English), Dimitris AVRAMOPOULOS, Member of the EC in charge of Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, The agency will be able to underpin our efforts to improve returns by making the logistical and operational side more effective. For our European asylum system to properly function we need to encourage third country national to only use legal ways to come to Europe.

SOUNDBITE (French), Alain CADEC (EPP, FR), from EP Committee on Fisheries, The coastal and border agency must and will respect sovereignty of member states at the same time it will strengthen the integrative management of borders. Thanks to the restructuring of FRONTEX we will be meeting the concerns and demands of our citizens who ask for a strong, effective Europe which is close to the citizens.

SOUNDBITE (German), Monika HOHLMEIER (EPP, DE), I congratulate you Mr Commissioner that you had the courage to provide 1500 people, because if you want to have effective border management and tackle a crisis you can't manage it with only 20 or 50 experienced or borders specialists. You need an order which is rapid and efficient and who can work properly within FRONTEX.

SOUNDBITE (Hungarian), P&#233;ter NIEDERM&#220;LLER (S&amp;D, HU), One of the priorities of our group was to ensure that the agency has a bigger role in search and rescue at sea. For years we saw lives lost at the Mediterranean, this situation will be improved by the new regulation. Search and rescue operation will be an important component of European integrated border management. The agency starts with supporting member states in carrying out these operations.