Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-06-20-Speech-3-396"
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"en.20070620.30.3-396"2
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"Mr President, I should especially like to thank the rapporteur, Mr Pirker, for the report, which contains a series of very useful recommendations.
Many of these recommendations address the level of ambition that a truly comprehensive common European asylum system should have. Many of the concerns expressed by the European Parliament in this report are addressed in our Green Paper on the future of asylum policy, which I proposed on 6 June and which the Commission has adopted, and on which I intend to launch a broad European debate.
The ultimate objective pursued at European level is thus to establish a level playing field. Asylum seekers should have access to protection under equivalent conditions in all Member States – that is the first precondition. The goal pursued in the first stage was to harmonise Member States’ legal frameworks on the basis of common minimum standards, but the goal in the second stage should be to achieve both a higher standard and greater equality of protection across the EU, as well as greater solidarity between Member States.
It will be necessary to identify existing gaps and deficits and to pursue further legislative harmonisation while guaranteeing high standards. For example, models need to be explored for the design of a single procedure for assessing applications for refugee status and for subsidiary protection. It is also necessary to reflect on the need for fuller harmonisation and clarification of the European rules regarding the reception conditions granted to asylum seekers.
Reflection is also needed on whether the criteria for allocating responsibility currently applicable under the Dublin system should be complemented in order take other factors into account, such as more equitable distribution between Member States on the basis of their capacity to process asylum applications and to offer long-term prospects to recognised refugees. This is a very important point, raised by a number of Member States, particularly by our Maltese friends, who stressed the importance of integrating the current Dublin regulation. I am studying this point. Based on the results of this wide debate and after a public hearing to be held on 18 October with the full involvement of Parliament, I will issue a policy plan at the beginning of 2008. The policy plan will set out further measures to construct the comprehensive asylum system along with a timeframe for adoption. I am confident that with the due institutional framework which will fully involve the European Parliament in the legislative process – I refer to the codecision procedure – we will be able to match this high level of ambition.
On the specific issues addressed in Mr Pirker’s report concerning practical cooperation, there is a need to enhance converge of practice between Member States. Training is certainly one of the areas where practical cooperation is taking place. At the moment, the development of a common curriculum is under way. We will establish a first pilot European-wide portal on the exchange of country of origin information by the end of this year, in a few months’ time. For the time being, this will only connect some of the existing databases and will be accessible to selected national authorities, but my services also intend to carry out a feasibility study on how to provide a better structural support to practical cooperation activities; the idea is to have a European support office.
It should be remembered that the European Refugee Fund can provide, through Community actions, financial support to Member States to implement projects, in cooperation with the United Nations, to improve the quality of their asylum systems. In the new World Programme for 2007, specific mention is made of this point.
The Commission has also proposed to amend the European Refugee Fund, precisely to provide rapid financial support to those Member States that face particular pressure because of sudden arrivals of migrants at their borders, some of whom are in need of international protection. In addition, the new budget line ‘Preparatory action: Migration management – Solidarity in action’, which is the name of the project, will be used to assist Member States faced with particular difficulties. We will fund it with a supplementary amount of money of about EUR 7 million.
Finally, of course, as the rapporteur has just said, one of our main political objectives is to make a clear distinction between economic migrants on the one hand and true refugees on the other. Thus, there will be credible European policies for the return of third-country nationals who are staying illegally, in full respect of their human rights and fundamental freedoms."@en1
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