Debate: Humanitarian situation of refugees at EU external borders
Date: WEDNESDAY, 12 FEBRUARY 2020
Speaker: Helena Dalli
Language: EN

The humanitarian situation of refugees at our external borders is of great importance and of concern to us all. The EU promotes the respect of the rights of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants, both in the EU and outside of our borders in our neighbourhood. Any form of violence against refugees and migrants is, needless to say, unacceptable. Respect for fundamental rights and the rule of law must be ensured without exception. Member States must fully comply with these principles when implementing the EU acquis on border management, asylum and return. Pushbacks are not acceptable. Access to asylum procedures and respect for the principle of non-refoulement, in line with the EU Charter, must always be guaranteed. Member States must have in place the mechanisms needed to prevent pushbacks in the first place. Equally, they need to ensure that they have appropriate mechanisms to guarantee a prompt reply and investigate any alleged pushbacks. But challenges at external borders are many, and the Commission is in constant contact with Member States and provides them with support, including financial support for training the national border guards to act in conformity with fundamental rights requirements. The Commission is also closely monitoring the situation at external borders and is in contact with Member States regarding allegations of non-compliance with EU law at the external borders. As Guardian of the Treaty, the Commission will take the necessary action where necessary. Moreover, we now have in place a new European Border and Coast Guard Agency with a significantly reinforced mandate and an increased focus on the imperious need to respect fundamental rights. It is for this reason that a specific Fundamental Rights Strategy has been drawn up by the new European Border and Coast Guard Agency. A fundamental rights officer was appointed to contribute to the Agency’s fundamental rights strategy and monitor compliance with fundamental rights. Fundamental rights monitors will also constantly assess the fundamental rights compliance of Frontex operational activities. They will be deployed as part of the joint operations and they will be the eyes and ears of the fundamental rights officer. The Agency must recruit 40 monitors by 5 December of this year. The new Agency has also set up a complaints mechanism. This mechanism allows any person who is directly affected by the actions of staff involved in the activities of the Agency and who considers himself or herself to have been the subject of a breach of his or her fundamental rights due to those actions, or to any party representing such a person, to submit a complaint in writing to the Agency. What happens at our external borders affects Europe. This is why the EU has always supported and also always stood at the side of our partners at the external borders as well as at the side of refugees and migrants in those countries. The EU is globally a key actor in providing assistance to refugees worldwide, especially in neighbouring countries, and in supporting third countries in developing their asylum system and their capacities to fight against smuggling. For instance, the EU supports Turkey in its efforts to host more than 4 million refugees. The EUR 6 billion facility for refugees in Turkey has been fully mobilised and clearly produces tangible effects. Over 1.7 million vulnerable refugees benefit from the emergency social safety net, the largest EU humanitarian project ever. The EU is also supporting more than 500 000 refugees’ children to regularly attend school. Our Western Balkan partners have proven to be reliable and strong partners of the EU in managing migration and countering security challenges. However, reception capacities, in particular in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, are stretched to the maximum, and migrants are often living in extremely difficult conditions. Further capacity assistance is needed to help these countries to pursue their efforts to manage migration, addressing the issue of secondary movements in the region and treating migrants in a humane manner. To support all these actions, the EU provides financial and technical support to the Western Balkans through the regional programmes funded under the Instrument for Pre-Accession so that they increase their capacity to build their national migration management system. In addition, the EU has recently provided EUR 135 million in additional assistance to Serbia, North Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina through the Instrument for Pre-Accession and EUR 32.6 million through the EU humanitarian aid. In all these actions inside and outside the EU, the protection of the most vulnerable, especially of children and unaccompanied minors, remains a priority for the Commission. The Commission is doing all it can to help Member States to address the situation at our external borders. The dignity and safety of all affected persons needs to be ensured and protected. A lot has been achieved, but more remains to be done. We need to find a common understanding on how we collectively shape and manage the realities of migration. We must unite around our common values and humanitarian responsibilities and seek to make our society more cohesive and integrated. I count on your continued support and that of the Council as well.