Extracts from the debate on tackling the disappearance of migrant children in Europe during the plenary session in Brussels (01-02/03/2017)

Brussels

debate

plenary session

VAUTMANS, Hilde (Renew, BE)

migration and refugees in Europe (T)

LAMBERT, Jean (Greens/EFA, UK)

FAJON, Tanja (S&D, SI)

AVRAMOPOULOS, Dimitris (EL, EC)

CORAZZA BILDT, Anna Maria (EPP, SE)

Tackling the disappearance of migrant children in Europe: extracts from the debate

SOUNDBITE (English), Dimitris AVRAMOPOULOS, Member of the EC in charge of Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, In spite of the efforts taken at European and national level, the situation of minor remains unsatisfactory and protections gaps must be filled. Ensuring adequate assistance, both in terms of material supply, adequate reception and care, legal information as well as psychosocial support is key to be trusted and avoid disappearances.

SOUNDBITE (English), Dimitris AVRAMOPOULOS, Member of the EC in charge of Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, For the moment, only 205 unaccompanied minors have been relocated from Greece and Italy and as we all understand this is unacceptable. However the Commissions works closely with member states in this aspect. The Commission has deployed dedicated teams in frontline member states to address this matter.

SOUNDBITE (English), Dimitris AVRAMOPOULOS, Member of the EC in charge of Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, If children go missing, they have to be found and they have to be found fast. Existing instruments to report and record children disappearances must be fully used. The Schengen information system constitutes the only European wide information exchange on missing persons in general. For this system to be useful, missing children must be reported to the police and other relevant authorities.

SOUNDBITE (English), Dimitris AVRAMOPOULOS, Member of the EC in charge of Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, It is our duty to protect children, we need to focus on prevention, the quality of care and protection. We must reinforce our fights against the criminals, mobilise and inform public opinion and put pressure on member states to use all tools available to protect children in migration.

SOUNDBITE (English), Anna Maria CORAZZA BILDT (EPP, SE), We call on the police to prioritize missing children without double standards between European and migrant children. We need effective rules for cross border cooperation, an increase cooperation with Europol filling existing gaps; we need to allocate more resources to hotlines to help report disappearances and build trust with the migrant children to prevent them from running away, to make sure that children remain in the protection system and provide them with a safe environment and decent living standards. Children must be registered when entering the EU and I support Commissioner your reform proposal for the EURODAC moving to take fingerprints from the age of 6 to be able to protect them and to trace them!

SOUNDBITE (Slovenian), Tanja FAJON (S&amp;D, SI), You should read the papers and look it up in Internet, the story has been the same for the last two years, nothing has changed, and nothing has improved. Why don&rsquo;t we have an action plans, why minors are not a priority? This question is specific enough, I expect a specific answer and a plan to save these minors.

SOUNDBITE (Dutch), Hilde VAUTMANS (ALDE, BE), You know if my dog goes missing today I look for him harder than Europe is looking for these 10 000 missing children. Come up with an action plan, I am happy to handle you the recommendations from the Malta&rsquo;s conference, there are very concrete measures here.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jean LAMBERT (Greens/EFA, UK), We know we need to develop a system that youngsters trust, that they are engaged with, w system that protects them, that informs them properly, that has effective legal guardians and that would cooperate across borders when necessary. And we know that we need governments to step up and indeed to step in to help those countries under particular pressure.