The Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the EU is “in a position to foster convergence” between Member States on the issue of the Pact on Migration and Asylum and its most difficult aspects, such as the balance between responsibility and solidarity. And the aim of the Minister of Internal Administration, Eduardo Cabrita, will at least be to give “a concrete meaning to the concept of flexible compulsory solidarity”, he said on 8 January, during a briefing with the European press.
Portugal is not a frontline country “and does not have the same urgency” as other southern EU countries, but Mr Cabrita said he heard the concerns of these countries and recently met with their Ministers for Home Affairs.
The Portuguese Minister of Internal Administration also plans to meet the Visegrád countries to conduct these discussions, notably in Hungary, where these countries are worried about having to receive migrants in times of crisis.
The Pact on Asylum and Migration is “one of the most difficult dossiers for the EU”, he said, praising in passing the work of the German Presidency of the EU Council, which has made it possible to identify areas where agreement will not be too difficult to reach and other areas requiring more delicate discussions.
As such, the response to be given to southern EU countries in the management of migration flows, especially in times of crisis, is one of the most delicate. Mr Cabrita expressed his hope that a consensus could be reached on compulsory solidarity and its modes of expression. The southern EU countries who met recently said they were open to other forms of relocation other than compulsory relocation, he assured; discussions could focus on other modalities, such as, alongside the offers of return assistance provided for in the Pact, human resources at the borders, logistical assistance.
The Minister mentioned three pillars for the Presidency’s work on migration, including cooperation with non-Member States, particularly Africa, and legal migration, which will have to be promoted. This is followed by shared responsibility and, finally, shared solidarity.
The Minister wants to conduct discussions on the Pact with an “open mind”, but the idea of mandatory relocation quotas will not be brought back to the table.
For the rest, Mr Cabrita hopes to be able to quickly conclude Europol’s new mandate and speed up the implementation of the provisions on the interoperability of information systems.
The new counter-terrorism agenda will also be among the priorities, and the Minister welcomed the expected finalisation of the Regulation on the removal of terrorist content.
The European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties will discuss the agreement reached in December (see EUROPE 12620/11) on Monday 11 January, the Greens/EFA have already planned to vote against it. The Ministers for Home Affairs will then have to formally validate this agreement, possibly in March, which will allow terrorist content to be removed within an hour. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)