Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2015-10-27-Speech-2-089-000"
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"en.20151027.3.2-089-000"2
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"Mr President, the migration crisis may no longer be the top story on our news programmes, but it is clear from this debate that it has not gone away, and it is not going away any time soon.
Let us be clear. We have got to get away from the well-rehearsed arguments of whether you are pro-European or you are anti-European. Let us get away from the arguments of those who want to do nothing, and those who think that we can do everything. Instead of a stop-start approach, let us be clear about what we need to stop doing and let us be clear about what we need to start doing. Stop sending out a signal that anyone is welcome. Start focusing on helping those genuinely seeking refuge. Stop driving refugees into the arms of the traffickers. Start helping people nearer their homes. Stop individual countries opening their borders to all one day, forcing others to close theirs, and start being clear about what each country can do and is doing to help, because we need to face the reality now.
This is not just a migration crisis. This is not just a refugee crisis. It is in danger of becoming a geo-political crisis. In Syria, a proxy conflict is unfolding. Russia is doing all it can to destabilise the EU’s borders to focus our attention away from the Ukraine. The Balkans are in danger of destabilizing, so against this background we have had the Commission 10-point plan, we have the European Council roadmap and now we have the 17-point plan from Sunday’s summit. But all these plans are no substitute for action, so to solve the crisis we first have to stabilise it, accepting only the most vulnerable genuine refugees from the camps, as identified by the UNHCR, returning those who seek to bypass that system. But even with such a system in place, we have to take some refugees into our countries. We have a moral obligation, yet some countries are doing far more than others. Some countries are struggling to cope. Some countries are donating huge sums. Some countries are paying huge bucks while others are passing the buck, so all countries need to understand the scale of the situation and help with coordinated action. When I say all countries, I do not just mean all EU countries. I mean all countries. So while we should acknowledge and support the contribution of Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon, we should also be asking when the richer Arab countries and the USA will step up.
Closer to home, EU frontline States and the Balkans need to be helped. Borders need to be strengthened. Money and resources need to go into processing and returns. We need to be fair but firm, helping refugees close to their homes, welcoming some to our countries, but telling economic migrants to apply through existing legal migration channels and not being seen to jump the queue over those who have applied legally. Let us uphold these principles to save lives, rather than encourage people to risk their lives.
Our grandparents confronted the problems of their generation, who had fought two world wars. They allowed our generation to enjoy a longer period of sustained peace and prosperity that any generation ever before. Never take that for granted, for now our world is changing: shifting power from West to East, wars on our doorstep, terrorism at home, living longer but reproducing less. These new challenges will need new solutions, and history has taught us that to face the really big challenges we need to work together as allies but stand up to those who seek to dictate to us. Our grandparents had the vision to meet the challenges of their times. Our children will face a whole new set of challenges, so now it is our turn; our turn to do something for our children and grandchildren: face today’s challenges or retreat to the past. So let us stop sending false hope, to the millions thinking of coming here, that they all have a future in the EU. Let us move on from road maps and action plans and get on with helping those in need. Let us stop pointing fingers and setting quotas and start delivering, for the sake of the refugees, for the sake of the citizens of our countries and for the sake of the future stability of this continent."@en1
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