Mr President, Madam Vice-President of the Commission, ladies and gentlemen, as the rapporteur, Mr Marinho, pointed out, people have always sought, and continue to seek – and in ever-increasing numbers – better opportunities or protection outside their country or origin, in their attempts to flee persecution, war, human rights violations, or simply poverty and unemployment. In accordance with the Treaties of Amsterdam and Nice, and in line with the outcome of the Tampere Summit, we have adopted various legal measures and instruments concerning the three categories, namely, asylum seekers, temporarily displaced persons and economic migrants. Member States, as the rapporteur has stated, are currently facing a crisis in the asylum system caused by abuses of the various procedures with the increase in mixed flows, a problem that is often exacerbated by the operations of trafficking networks. This phenomenon has had terrible consequences, which have been reflected in public unease. Consequently, it is essential that we establish a policy that encompasses three key elements: firstly, the application of the Geneva Convention; secondly, the legitimate aspirations of citizens of third countries to seek better living conditions; and thirdly, the capacity of each Member State, and that of the EU as a whole, to welcome refugees. At the root of this balanced policy must always be a joint framework of related measures established following detailed examination at Tampere. We must also adopt harmonised, transparent, efficient and swift procedures. The Commission has drafted proposals and obtained Parliament’s opinion in all the areas of asylum policy referred to in the Tampere conclusions. The Council, on the other hand, has missed the deadlines set by the Tampere, Laeken, Seville and Thessaloniki European Councils and, five years on, we still await its decisions. The Thessaloniki European Council reminded the Council of the need to ensure that the still-outstanding proposals for directives on minimum standards for asylum and immigration were adopted at the earliest opportunity. The Commission was called on to explore all parameters in order to ensure more orderly and managed entry into the EU of persons in need of international protection, and to examine how the regions of origin may better ensure the safety of those persons. Today’s debate concerns the report by Mr Marinho, whom I should like to congratulate on the quality of his work. The report is based on two Commission communications, which, although they are prompted by different considerations, are, nonetheless, both concerned with the premises and the basics aims of a possible new approach to more accessible, equitable and managed asylum systems, and they explore new paths which will complement the progressive approach established at Tampere. In my opinion, Mr President, for a coherent overall approach to be sustained as regards the establishment of a common EU policy on asylum and immigration, the following key elements must be present: the existence of paths of legal immigration, a policy on integration, joint management of migratory flows, more rigorous controls of external borders, a European asylum system, negotiations on readmission agreements and common policy on return, the need to combat human trafficking and illegal immigration effectively and to support the victims of such crimes.

Political group: PPE-DE