The Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties (LIBE), Juan Fernando Lopez Aguilar (S&D, Spain), sent a letter on 30 April, on behalf of his Committee, to the Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, and the Vice-President for Promoting the European Way of Life, Margaritis Schinas, in which he expresses his expectations regarding the future Pact on Asylum and Migration, the date of publication of which has not yet been announced by the European Commission.
The letter calls on the institution to give “a necessary new impetus to legal and safe migration” and expects an approach that is “balanced [and covers] all pillars of EU asylum and migration policy”, a statement said.
Alongside the overhaul of the European asylum system, a framework for resettlement and humanitarian corridors must also be established. The Chairman of the Committee also insists on labour migration, for which a legal framework must also be designed.
On the subject of legal labour migration, the Committee insists on sectoral economic migration, long-term residence rights, the right to intra-Community mobility and family reunification.
Approach criticised
This letter from the Spanish socialist President has not been well received by everyone, particularly in the EPP group, where some sources describe it as an individual initiative which does not represent all the elected representatives. Elected ID representatives had also criticised the approach on Twitter last weekend.
The political groups have already started, at their level, to present their respective positions, such as the EPP (see EUROPE 12478/22). Last week the Commission indicated that it had finalised the Pact, but continued to say on Monday 4 May that the timetable had not yet been decided. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)