David SASSOLI, EP President, participates in the WDR Europaforum on May 21, with Wolfgang SCHÄUBLE, President of the German Bundestag: extracts.

statement

migration and refugees in Europe (T)

asylum procedures in the EU (T)

EU - Germany (T)

SCHÄUBLE, Wolfgang (DE)

SASSOLI, David Maria (S&D, IT, S&D, IT)

new pact on asylum and migration (T)

Panel with David SASSOLI, EP President at WDR Europaforum on May 21, with Wolfgang SCHÄUBLE, President of the German Bundestag: extracts

Title: Panel with David SASSOLI, EP President at WDR Europaforum on May 21, with Wolfgang SCH&#196;UBLE, President of the German Bundestag: extracts

SOUNDBITE (German), Isabel SCHAYANI, EuropaForum WDR, I'll start with the topic of flight and asylum, it was interesting for us to see in the preparation which areas people were actually interested in and what they asked questions about, and a large proportion of the questions were about flight and asylum, and here we have a law student from Germany, his name is Hans, I'll read out the question in full because you can see the seriousness and sincerity of the questioners a bit more clearly there.

SOUNDBITE (German), Isabel SCHAYANI, EuropaForum WDR, People are fleeing to Europe and are looking for protection. We call ourselves an industrialized nation living in the highly modernized 21st century, but if you look at the humanitarian situation at the EU's external borders, it would be more appropriate to speak of the Middle Ages. How can Germany, a country that recently celebrated the 70th anniversary of its Constitution, at the same time leave so many people in such disgraceful reception camps, President Sassoli, isn't human dignity inviolable, Mr. Sch&auml;uble? Maybe we start with Brussels in answering this question. The situation in the reception camps and is human dignity not inviolable, Mr. Sassoli?

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EuropaForum WDR, Thank you very much for this question, and I welcome the President of the Bundestag, Mr Sch&auml;uble, the question is very important because every day we see, also with a certain frustration, what is happening at our borders and especially in the south of Europe, in the Mediterranean. The big problems, the big questions that are raised, by migration. We have understood that no European country can ever be able to have an answer to migration. That's why we need to give the European Union more competences and more opportunities. Global phenomena can be answered by a united Europe, a single European country cannot, and history shows us that migration problems need a European answer.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President, I am glad to be here with Mr. Sch&auml;uble, because during the German Presidency, the Bundestag and the European Parliament held a conference on migration, and now would be the right moment for governments to take up our appeal, to work for a European migration policy. Today, this does not only mean something that is beneficial, but it is also useful. Otherwise, no one will be able to give answers, especially to phenomena that concern humanity. But there is another aspect. Covid-19 and our reconstruction efforts need new alliances, and migration can also be useful in this, and our regions, our countries, our companies need migration if we are to overcome the crisis that Covid-19 has created.