During the plenary session (10-13/12/2018) of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, MEPs debate their priorities for the 13-14 December EU summit, which will focus on the EU’s long-term budget, migration, the single market and external relations. Statements by MMF, 2019 Budget and migration by Jean-Claude JUNCKER, President of the EC, Manfred WEBER (EPP, DE), Juliane BOGNER-STRAUSS, Austrian Federal Minister for Women, Udo BULLMANN (S&D, DE), Anneleen VAN BOSSUYT (ECR, BE), Marisa MATIAS (GUE/NGL, PT) and Ska KELLER (Greens/EFA, DE)..

Strasbourg

debate

plenary session

WEBER, Manfred (EPP, DE)

migration and refugees in Europe (T)

JUNCKER, Jean-Claude (LU)

VAN BOSSUYT, Anneleen (ECR, BE)

KELLER, Ska (Greens/EFA, DE)

BULLMANN, Udo (S&D, DE)

MATIAS, Marisa (The Left, PT)

Multiannual financial framework 2021-2027 (T)

EU budget 2019 (T)

BOGNER-STRAUSS, Juliane (AT)

European Council meeting 13-14 December 2018 (T)

Preparation of the European Council meeting of 13 and 14 December 2018: extracts from the debate on MMF, 2019 Budget and migration

SOUNDBITE (English), Juliane BOGNER-STRAUSS, Austrian Federal Minister for Women, Families and Youth, Ministers today in the General Affairs Council are discussing a draft negotiating box that presents a comprehensive picture of all the component of the future Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). This means that the very meter of the negotiation is now established. 

SOUNDBITE (English), Juliane BOGNER-STRAUSS, Austrian Federal Minister for Women, Families and Youth, We are meeting your rapporteurs regularly and I am confident that President Tajani will convey your views to leaders when he will be heard by the European Council. The European Council will also return to the implementation of its comprehensive approach to migration, combining effective controls of the EU's external borders, increase external action and internal dimension.

SOUNDBITE (French), Jean-Claude JUNCKER, President of the EC, There is the eternal issue of migration. We need to move on from ideological debates, which are endless and serve no purpose. I think time has come for a decision, we need to come to an agreement on the reform of the Asylum System. 7 proposals have been tabled by the European Commission, 5 proposals are ready now for adoption. Tonight or tomorrow morning, either way they need to be adopted. There is no point in holding these directives hostage on EURODAC [the EU asylum fingerprint database], no point to hold the overall agreement on these proposals. Let's adopt what is was already set for adoption, the Parliament has now done its work in this regard.

SOUNDBITE (English), Manfred WEBER (EPP, DE), We will welcome to have further progress on the capacity on strong investment budget for the European Union to be more capable to react in future crisis times. There we see a lack of initiative but what we will really appreciate and welcome is the European Monitoring Fund (EMF) would became more independent from the international infrastructure in this regard. 

SOUNDBITE (English), Manfred WEBER (EPP, DE), On migration, when I listen to what the Home Affairs ministers said last week about strengthening Frontex with ten thousands additional Frontex officers, is a disaster to see this. The Council is proposing this and at the Council level all our leader asked to speed up and inmediately implement these Frontex forces to guarantee strong border control and then the Home Affairs ministers do not care about what the Council members are telling us, so I think there is enough to clarify. If we do not do so that means no solidarity with the South, it means no strict border control, it means no better management of the migration flows, and that is exactly the opposite of what the people in Europe are asking us to do. 

SOUNDBITE (German), Udo BULLMANN (S&amp;D, DE), Thanks to Antonio Guterres, thanks to the United Nations and the 164 nations which have supported the migration pact. This issue is extremely important, they want people to narrow down things. Everybody seems to be lying about this entire situation. In reality is something totally different. We have [Donald]Trump and [Steve] Bannon on the road, with their road show in order to disseminate their lives, and now they are saying people have to be nationalistic. This is wrong. 

SOUNDBITE (Dutch), Anneleen VAN BOSSUYT (ECR, BE), I would ask you to use this budget to set an example. Fewer member states means less money in the budget. They are also going to discuss the internal market. I am a member of the Committee for that, I am very happy and welcome the fact that this is going to be discussed. There is still work to be done. 

SOUNDBITE (Portuguese), Marisa MATIAS (GUE/NGL, PT), Migration, the issue concerns us globally. Human rights as well, and the global declaration which now had celebrated a 70 years anniversary. I do not understand what governments are doing. Why have not we focussed on these key issues today. I think that nobody is responding to our concrete problems properly and the responses are actually mediocre, mediocre.  

SOUNDBITE (English), Ska KELLER (Greens/EFA, DE), We can longer wait. I will call on those Member States that are serious about solidarity to go ahead, to join themselves together and get out of their corner and start some action together. It is time to make a move and let's do not wait for the last one to come out of their corner. 