The French Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, confirmed to the members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties (LIBE), on Monday 7 February, the French Presidency of the EU Council’s intention to reach a first concrete agreement, as early as 3 March at the formal Council of EU Interior Ministers, on the ‘responsibility’ and ‘solidarity’ aspects of the Pact on Migration and Asylum, namely on elements of the screening of migrants at external borders, on the Eurodac regulation (with potentially a new category dedicated to people rescued at sea) as well as on mandatory solidarity via a voluntary relocation mechanism, aid for returns or an alternative financial response for countries not wanting to take in migrants.
The aim is to give the European Parliament the capacity to work on agreement texts as early as March or June, the minister said in response to the Dutch MEP, Jeroen Lenaers (EPP).
On the Pact on Migration and Asylum, “ the only realistic solution is to move forward together on solidarity and responsibility at the same time”, with “an equivalent level of commitments”, said the minister, convinced that a sufficient number of Member States ready to participate in relocations could also be communicated during the EU Council of 3 March.
Questioned by the Spanish socialist Javier Moreno Sánchez, the minister also indicated that he wanted to work on legal migration, especially labour migration, which is a “complement to the Pact” and responds to the demands of “European economies “ or trade unions. In this respect, the minister cited the United Kingdom, which he also called on to open up such legal channels of work to reduce the number of crossings of the Channel.
Responding to the Greens/EFA MEPs, he also supported the Commission’s idea of strengthening the political governance of the Frontex agency, whose Management Board could meet at least “once or twice a year” with the EU Interior Ministers and receive “instructions” from them, in particular to deal with the issue of pushbacks or rescues at sea.
Asked by some MEPs, such as Sylvie Guillaume (S&D, France), about the vagueness of French President Emmanuel Macron’s proposals for a new ‘Schengen Council’, the minister confirmed that this new structure would also take place on 3 March and that its purpose would be to provide concrete indicators on the situation in the Schengen Area and make the management of the zone much more operational.
The minister also mentioned the importance that the French Presidency will give to the fight against terrorism and radicalisation, also emphasising transparency in the financing of organisations holding a discourse that refutes European values. The formal EU Council meeting on 3 March will also have this topic on its agenda.
Funding of organisations with anti-European rhetoric
On this point, the Presidency put several questions to delegations in the Standing Committee on Operational Cooperation on Internal Security (COSI) in view of this discussion on radicalisation. In particular, it asked Member States what they are doing at their level to detect and act against the “funding, by public bodies or foreign sources, of entities promoting a discourse that contradicts European values”, according to a note from 1 February.
Member States were also asked how the Commission’s plan to create an EU knowledge centre on the prevention of radicalisation can be developed and how COSI can be involved. Link to the note: https://aeur.eu/f/8i (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)