Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-06-06-Speech-3-124"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20070606.15.3-124"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:translated text |
".
Mr President, may I, on behalf of the Presidency, state very clearly that the latest reports on migrants who have lost their lives when their boats have foundered in the Mediterranean, the reports of tragedies that have occurred there, remind us of the responsibility that we as Member States have in this domain.
Regardless of all the tenets of immigration policy, when there is a real and present danger to life and limb, the protection of human life, as the supreme value, must have absolute priority. This principle is not only enshrined in a number of international conventions; it also accords with our common understanding of the values on which the European Union is based.
Irrespective of the question of legal jurisdiction, the European Union undoubtedly bears political responsibility, and we should shoulder that responsibility together. This is why the Presidency, by agreement with the Commission, has decided that the Council of Justice and Home Affairs Ministers should debate this issue at their next meeting on 12 June.
We cannot close our eyes to the fact that there have been problems in the past in the interpretation and application of international conventions and that these problems still arise today. We as Member States must recognise the responsibility we have to prevent such human tragedies, and the Hague Programme rightly and explicitly emphasises the need for close cooperation among all states as well as for solidarity and shared responsibility.
Besides the need to save human lives, the decisive message is that we must not let it come to the point at which unscrupulous criminal organisations put these people’s lives in danger by trying to transport them illegally to Europe. This is why it is important that, as part of a general strategy for the resolution of the migration issue, we also achieve better cooperation with the countries of origin and transit. It is essential to step up this cooperation in the framework of the political dialogue on migration issues with the governments of these countries, especially in the context of the Euromed partnership and the follow-up process to the EU-Africa migration conferences in Rabat and Tripoli.
We believe that our efforts of the last few months and the debates at all Council meetings during the Finnish and German presidencies have been a first step towards ensuring that the European Union will be able to deal with these tragedies more effectively and convincingly in future for the sake of the people concerned."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples