Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-02-11-Speech-3-013"
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"en.20040211.1.3-013"2
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"Mr President, firstly I would like to welcome to this House the Irish Minister for Justice and Home Affairs. Secondly, I would like to offer my sincere congratulations to my colleague and friend, Mr Ribeiro e Castro, for the presentation he made here this morning.
The European Union is soon to become a political body comprising 25 Member States with a population of nearly 500 million people. It is therefore of the utmost importance that all Member States in the European Union cooperate more closely to combat the threat of international terrorism and organised crime. With common European borders in existence and with the free movement of people within the Union, we too must cooperate more closely in an effort to stop drug imports into Europe and to combat the evil of human trafficking.
We cannot defeat drug trafficking and those who engage in the heinous crime of human trafficking unless our European police forces work closely together. This challenge becomes even greater as enlargement takes place, and Europol will have to play a more pivotal role in coordinating the European Union's response to these rising crimes. No country can defeat international terrorism on its own. If Europe requires more resources to face up to this new challenge, then more resources must be made available.
In recent times we have seen the tragic deaths of many people who have fallen foul of the scourge of international human trafficking. It is estimated that 600 000 illegal immigrants enter the European Union every year. That is why a comprehensive plan to combat illegal immigration must remain a key priority of our Union. EU financial assistance for the return action programme must be maintained and we must all support the work of the Union. The borders agency is putting in place a coordinated approach by EU Member States to combat illegal immigration.
I too support the implementation of a common EU asylum policy, and we must resolve the outstanding issues concerning asylum qualifications and procedures directives. We must also support the better management of the entry of persons into the European Union who are in need of international protection in accordance with the Geneva Convention. With regard to the issue of legal migration, the new EU legislation governing the conditions of entry and residence of third country nationals for the purposes of study and vocational training within the Union must be promoted.
Finally, the issues of putting in place common policies to combat illegal immigration are best addressed at European Union level. We now live in an internal market where there is free movement of persons across the territories of the EU, and we must take collective action together in an effort to deal with these issues effectively."@en1
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