Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-03-29-Speech-3-140"
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"en.20000329.8.3-140"2
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"Mr President, the Commission would like to thank Parliament for the opportunity of having this debate and I would like personally to warmly congratulate the rapporteur, Mr Hernández Mollar, for his excellent report and the excellent motion for a resolution.
These budget lines should, above all, consider not only providing humanitarian assistance, including the improvement of basic living conditions, as we are already doing using the funds of ECHO, but also different initiatives aimed at economic development, improving respect for human rights, improving the independence of the judiciary, improving equal opportunities of men and women in the third countries, but also assisting the third countries to put in place the legal and practical mechanisms for dealing with asylum-seekers and refugees.
Mr President, finally I note that you consider that the action plans pay too little attention to the internal policies. However, I understand the primary aim of the action plan to be to contribute to the development of an external policy of the Union on migration. Let me assure you anyway that the Commission will take its own responsibilities in the development of a common internal European Union immigration and asylum policy as foreseen in the conclusions of Tampere.
A detailed breakdown of our intentions is presented already in the scoreboard that was endorsed by the Justice and Home Affairs Council last Monday and which was communicated to the Parliament earlier. In autumn this year we will have a new opportunity to discuss the priorities of a comprehensive immigration policy of the Union when the Commission presents to the Council and to Parliament a review of the communication of 1994 in order to bring on board the new dynamics, the new social, political and economic realities of the world we live in as far as immigration policy is concerned.
I appreciate that Parliament can support the proposed integrated and cross-pillar approach which – and I quote the report – ‘may’ produce positive results. I understand that the Parliament is taking a cautious approach to these action plans and the Commission would like to follow the same line. On the one hand, the Commission is pleased to see that in broad terms the approach of the Council in developing these action plans is very much in line with the approach advocated by the Commission in its communication on migration of 1994 that enjoyed broad support in this Parliament. On the other hand, one must be aware that, for the time being, these plans only exist on paper.
Implementing these plans will need, as has already been stressed by several Members of the House, a combination of very different policies: political cooperation, human rights, rule of law and democracy, commercial, social and development policies, economic assistance need to be fitted together with measures aiming at better management of migration flowing from these countries and regions. Clearly this is not an easy task.
Please allow me to highlight, and subscribe to, a number of important elements of your draft resolution. The partnership with the third countries concerned will be always a key element for the success of such a policy with a view to promoting co-development. I would therefore support your view that we will need to initiate a political dialogue on the implementation of the action plan on an agreed basis of mutual benefit both for Member States of the Union and for the third countries. We have to recognise that this political dialogue will have to take into account the very different political situation in each of the five countries. Therefore, I would like to emphasise the important role that non-governmental organisations will have in the implementation of these action plans.
We are all very well aware of the fact that migration problems will not be solved within the coming month. We have to bear in mind this very serious limitation when the European Council in December this year receives the first assessment of these action plans. I would very much agree with your observation that the European Union should adopt a long-term structural policy to tackle the causes of migration and I therefore agree that the deadlines set in the action plans are rather optimistic.
The action plans, however, can be considered as a first step in creating an external policy on migration of the European Union and should therefore be given a chance. I also agree with your view that reception in the region does not absolve Member States of the Union from their duties towards asylum-seekers under the Geneva Convention.
When implementing the action plans, it is extremely important to keep the balance between the various measures so that efforts are not concentrated exclusively on the short-term defence actions. The Commission stresses that it will play an active part in maintaining that balance. Implementation will require close cooperation between the Council and its competent bodies, the Commission and Member States in accordance with their respective responsibilities as defined in the treaty.
The important role Member States have to play was, by the way, acknowledged at the Justice and Home Affairs Council of last Monday, 27 March. The presidency has called on the Member States to turn their political commitments into real activities, a request that the Commission has supported.
The Commission is, of course, ready to play the active role it is expected to play, especially in areas such as development and economic assistance, human rights, good governance and institution building. In order to play a similar role for other measures, the Commission currently lacks the financial means. I therefore very much welcome your recommendation for the possibility of allocation of extra funds to cover cooperation with third countries in the fields of justice and home affairs with particular reference to immigration."@en1
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