During the meeting of the Commitee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) Melchior WATHELET, State Secretary for the Budget, Migration and Asylum Policy, Family Policy and Federal Cultural Institutions, makes a statement on Migration and Asylum Policy, in the European Parliament in Brussels.

Brussels

statement

meeting

asylum, migration and integration fund (T)

WATHELET, Melchior (BE, father)

Migration and Asylum Policy: statement by Melchior WATHELET, State Secretary for the Budget, Migration and Asylum Policy, Family Policy and Federal Cultural Institutions

SOUNDBITE (French), Melchior WATHELET, State Secretary for the Budget, Migration and Asylum Policy, We have a shared goal and that is to ensure that we have this common European Asylum system by 2012. We must ensure that this shared commitment becomes a reality, in order for that to be possible we need close cooperation between the different European institutions.

SOUNDBITE (French), Melchior WATHELET, State Secretary for the Budget, Migration and Asylum Policy, The main themes we want to work on during our presidency are four: 1) Harmonisation in the area of asylum 2) Management of legal migration 3) Fighting against illegal immigration and 4) Integration policy; all these priorities show to what extent we want to have a balanced policy.

SOUNDBITE (French), Melchior WATHELET, State Secretary for the Budget, Migration and Asylum Policy, Another important issue for Belgian Presidency is the question of unaccompanied minors. During the Spanish Presidency a text was put forward by the Commission, and we discussed it in the Council; in the context of the Belgian Presidency we will be organising a conference on this important issue of unaccompanied third country minors, this is a very sensitive and difficult issue and we really want ensure the exchange of best practices among member states.

SOUNDBITE (French), Melchior WATHELET, State Secretary for the Budget, Migration and Asylum Policy, On visas and on liberalisation of visas regimes, the Presidency will be very concerned with all issues related to Bosnia and Albania. Experts missions have been sent by the Commission and we are awaiting their conclusions so that we can make progress in this area. I know this is an area to which the EP attaches great importance and we will take your message on board.