The European Parliament will hold a high-level conference to explore solutions to migration issues on Wednesday 21 June, the day before the European summit that will discuss Europe’s work in this domain.
The conference will examine the concept of solidarity for the housing of refugees, protection of the EU’s external borders and preventing mass migration through agreements with the countries the migrants hail from.
Since becoming president of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani has been unceasing in his reminders of the importance of supporting frontline member states for the arrival of migrants in the EU, viz. Greece and Italy and he mentioned the holding of such an event in a speech at a conference on the State of the Union organised by the University Institute of Florence (see EUROPE 11782).
Talking about the refugee problem, Tajani said on Thursday 1 June at the plenary of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) that ‘a serious response calls for a comprehensive European strategy which goes to the root of the problems.’ He added: ‘We need to act on a range of fronts: we must step up checks at our external borders and build a new partnership with Africa, which takes account not only of the challenges facing that continent, but also of the major opportunities for growth which exist there. Two weeks ago, the European Parliament adopted an important resolution calling on the Member States to show greater solidarity towards the countries bearing the brunt of migration, such as Italy and Greece. (see EUROPE 11791). The right of asylum, like solidarity, forms part of our founding values. But that does not mean that we should not take firm steps to combat illegal immigration.’
A parliamentary source told this newsletter that they had the impression that because the migration issue has been solved in Germany, the European Commission no longer sees it as a priority. The source stressed that the question was European and not just Italian or Greek and countries in central Europe had to understand that Europe was more than just the Structural Funds.
In work on reform of the Dublin asylum system, the member states are finding it difficult to define the concept of effective solidarity for sharing the burden of asylum-seekers, particularly the compulsory nature of such solidarity (see EUROPE 11792). (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)