On 10 December, the parliamentary dimension of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU, in collaboration with the European Parliament, held the High-level Interparliamentary Conference on Migration and Asylum in Europe, which was co-chaired by the President of the National Assembly, Igor Zorčič, and the Vice-President of the European Parliament, Fabio Massimo Castaldo. Participants included representatives from national parliaments, the European parliament, the European Commission, and other invited guests, who talked about solving current migration and asylum challenges. A number of those present repeated the Pope’s recent call for solidarity and trust among EU member states, made during his recent visit to Lesbos.

Vice-President Castaldo emphasised the responsibility of politics, which must centre on people and establish a dialogue between parliaments and civil society, continuing the process put in place by the parliamentary trio of the German, Portuguese, and Slovenian presidencies. He said the EU must adopt an effective and comprehensive migration system and take a unified and global approach, stressing the importance of adopting the necessary legislation in a timely manner if we are to take effective action in migration management.

President Zorčič pointed to increasingly complex migration flows, which once again reveal the already known cracks in the European asylum system, and the need to strengthen EU cooperation with key countries of origin for migration and partnership activities. According to him, the EU needs to overhaul the Common European Asylum System in the form of a robust but fair agreement that would address common migration challenges in an integrated and balanced way.

In his opening remarks, Luís Capoulas Santos, Chair of the Portuguese Parliamentary Committee on EU Affairs, joined both chairs in highlighting the successful cooperation of the parliamentary trio of the German, Portuguese, and Slovenian presidencies and the key role played by parliaments in building bridges for dialogue and political platforms on migration. He expressed the belief that the fundamental values of our joint project, the EU, must be protected.

The keynote speaker of the interparliamentary conference, Margaritis Schinas, the European Commissioner for Promoting our European Way of Life, strongly condemned attempts to destabilise the EU by abusing refugees and creating a crisis, and welcomed the EU’s united and resolute response to the humanitarian crisis at the border and swift action to punish those responsible. He described the EU’s unified response as a great success in migration management and called for the adoption of the New Pact on Migration and Asylum as soon as possible, which would give member states a firmer legal framework on which to base a common migration policy, a crucial tool for strengthening the EU’s external borders.

The conference included two panel discussions. The first panel on Multi-dimensional Cooperation in Forging Tailored Migration Partnerships with Third Countries was co-chaired by Monika Gregorčič, Chair of the Foreign Policy Committee, and Pierrette Herzberger Fofana, the 1st Vice-Chair of the European Parliament’s DEVE Committee.

Monika Gregorčič emphasised the importance of the EU’s mutual partnerships with countries of origin and transit for the effective management of migration and for eliminating the causes and preventing major illegal migrant flows in the future. Fofana highlighted the importance of development and financial assistance in establishing a mutual partnership with third countries when it comes to migration.

The introductory speakers of the first panel were the State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Stanislav Raščan, and Portuguese Assembly member Isabel Meirelles.

State Secretary Raščan talked about the importance of adapting the EU’s cooperation with partner countries on migration, as a one-size-fits-all approach does not suit all countries, and the importance of constant dialogue with partner countries and stakeholders at all levels. He summed up the work of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU, which continued the work of the German, Portuguese, and Slovenian trio and boosted the establishment of mutually beneficial partnerships related to migration and asylum policy.

When talking about migration, MP Meirelles called on the EU to anticipate and take into account the climate change factor. Regarding migration management, she emphasised the importance of ensuring the necessary resources in the fight against illegal migration, the establishment of legal migration channels in the EU, and strong partnerships with third countries, which must be willing participants in the refugee return system.

The practical contributions were presented by FRONTEX Executive Director Fabrice Leggeri and Evelien van Roemburg, the Head of Oxfam’s EU Office, speaking on behalf of CONCORD – the European

Confederation of NGOs for Relief and Development.

Leggeri presented a list of strategic partnerships with non-EU countries in terms of cooperation and highlighted the issue of returning refugees to their countries of origin. He emphasised the role of individual member states in ensuring security at the EU’s external borders and called for joint partnership.

Evelien van Roemburg was critical of the EU’s approach to making aid to third countries conditional on the return of refugees and called for a different EU approach to cooperation with partner third countries, one based on respect for international law and human rights.

Participants discussing the first topic largely welcomed the development of partner country action plans for migration and asylum and called for a common approach and enhanced mutual partnership with third countries. They drew attention to the unacceptable exploitation of migration aimed at blackmailing and destabilising the EU, and called for an agreement on the Pact on Migration and Asylum as soon as possible. However, MP Nik Prebil called on the EU not to allow the use of migrants for ideological and political aims.

The thematic debate on the Internal Dimension of Migration and Asylum in the EU A Year After the Proposal of the Pact was co-chaired by the Chair of the Committee on the Interior, Public Administration and Local Self-Government, Branko Grims, and Domènec Ruiz Devesa, representing the LIBE Committee of the European Parliament.

Devesa said that the planned Pact on Migration and Asylum should send a message of the EU’s commitment to the spirit of compromise in order to achieve a strong common policy. He also stressed the need for the Council of the EU to work with the European Parliament on drafting new legislation and providing a solid legal basis for the planned measures. Grims emphasised that “when we talk about migration, we are also talking about the future of Europe” and that certain past mistakes, made by the EU, now allow state actors to use illegal migration as a weapon against it. “The EU must first and foremost stand up for the security of its people and uphold the acquis,”

The State Secretary at the Ministry of the Interior, Božo Predalič, and MP from the German Bundestag, Lars Castellucci, both gave introductory speeches.

State Secretary Predalič welcomed the progress in negotiations between member states on the Pact on Migration and Asylum in the area of external action and enhanced cooperation with countries of origin and transit. He also highlighted open political issues: on the package approach to adopting the Pact’s legislative acts and on the relationship between responsibility and solidarity in the event of migratory pressure on a particular country. Among the priorities for enhanced migration and asylum management, he highlighted the need for the swift adoption of the proposed Eurodac Regulation aimed at registering people entering the EU.

Castellucci believed that the EU could also see migration as an asset, provided a balance could be struck within what is possible. It is aware that without controlled immigration, the EU will not be competitive, but needs a unified, fair and legally sound migration management system.

Good practices related to the second topic were presented by Nina Gregori, the Executive Director of the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) and Catherine Woolard, the Director of the European Council for Refugees and Exiles.

The debaters agreed that the successful management of EU migration must be based on a common policy of European principles, and also expressed several conflicting views on tackling this issue. Some supported rejecting illegal migrants due to non-integration and the consequent poor economic situation of their EU country, others saw migration as an opportunity for the EU because of its poor demographics and the need for a new workforce, criticising the militarisation, violence, and inhuman treatment of people at the EU’s external borders.

As co-chair, President Zorčič concluded the conference and said that it had significantly contributed to a better understanding of the challenges of migration and asylum and highlighted the complexity of contemporary migration issues, which member states solve only within the EU common framework. He expressed the belief that parliaments play an indispensable role in the process of creating bold responses to migration challenges.

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Medparlamentarna konferenca na visoki ravni o migracijah in azilu v Evropi

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Medparlamentarna konferenca na visoki ravni o migracijah in azilu v Evropi