Dear all,
Let me start by saying thank you to the Estonian Presidency and more specifically to Interior Minister Andres Anvelt for our constructive discussions today and for the Presidency’s unrelenting efforts over the last 6 months.
Earlier today, we proposed to the Heads of States and Government a detailed roadmap that includes key actions on all elements for a comprehensive and future-proof migration policy.
It is time to move beyond ad-hoc measures responding to a crisis situation, and to agree on long-lasting solutions that reply to today’s and tomorrow’s challenges.
We have to advance on all fronts in a comprehensive way both on the internal and external dimension of our migration policy, because all elements are interlinked.
Of course, the reform of the Common European Asylum System is the cornerstone of our internal solidarity. And this reform cannot wait. For this we need to intensify our efforts in the upcoming six months so as to have tangible results by at the latest June next year.
Another critical piece of the overall migration but also security puzzle is Schengen, and we had a very open discussion today with ministers.
I want to be crystal clear: the Commission’s objective is – and will continue to be – to preserve and strengthen the Schengen area as an area without controls at internal borders.
Over the last few years we have done a lot to reinforce the external borders of the Schengen area. Now we need to further step up efforts to safeguard free movement within the Schengen area. I was glad to see today that this is a shared objective.
We are working closely with Member States to ensure that temporary internal border controls continue to be exceptional and limited to what is strictly necessary to safeguard public policy and internal security and that the impact on free movement is limited.
We also continue to make sure that our rules remain fit for purpose. I have encouraged Ministers to make further progress in their discussions on our proposal to adapt the existing Schengen Borders Code rules to the current needs. As you know we have proposed in September a balanced approach which should correspond to different needs as identified by the Member States.
Our border management and asylum policy go hand in hand. There is no contradiction. Europe can and never will be a Fortress. We will continue to offer protection to those in need, and we must share the responsibility in doing so.
Enhancing legal pathways to Europe is equally essential for that. We are already well on track to reach the 50,000 pledges for resettlement for the next two years. We are also discussing with Member States to launch the first pilot projects for coordinating legal economic migration offers for key partners countries. We also need to reach a political agreement on the “Blue Card” Directive by June 2018.
Finally, the external dimension remains key. We need to continue to ensure a full and sustained implementation of the EU-Turkey Statement, deepen our partnership with the Libyan authorities, the African Union and international organisations to better manage the flows coming from Africa.
By February 2018, a further 15 000 assisted voluntary returns from Libya to countries of origin should take place and at least 1 000 resettlements from Libya.
All Member States should also contribute to close the funding gap of EUR 340 million for the North Africa Window of the EU Trust Fund by March 2018.
All these interconnected elements are the essential building blocks to develop a successful European migration policy and a balanced and solid asylum reform.
Finally, I wish to say a few words about security and our discussions this morning. Yesterday I hosted an excellent third meeting of the EU Internet Forum. Facebook, Google and Twitter today remove more than 95% of terrorist content with artificial intelligence. We now need to continue working closely, and with trust, to turn the tide against online terrorist propaganda. Big companies should help smaller companies to smarten up, and also start automatically detecting terrorist content. We are only as strong as our weakest link. Companies also need to speed up their reaction time to referrals from Member States and Europol. But most importantly, companies need to share results with us regularly and transparently, and pass key information to Europol and law enforcement authorities. We will continue to monitor progress closely, and see whether our progress is sufficient to continue on this voluntary basis, or if we need to look at other options – including legislation.
We were joined in our discussions on counter-terrorism today by the intelligence services. National security will always be a national competence, but today, with the threats we are facing, we have to find ways of exchanging information. Building bridges between the intelligence community and law enforcement is crucial, if we truly want to step up information sharing in an effective way, and there are already some ideas on the table to start cultivating a European intelligence culture. We need a cross-cutting approach to counterterrorism.
This is also the philosophy behind our preparatory work on interoperability.
Next week, we will be putting forward our proposals to strengthen the interoperability of EU information systems. Interoperability will improve considerably the way we share and use information for borders, migration and security in Europe.
The recent tragic attacks in Europe have highlighted the importance of effective information sharing between Member State authorities.
In parallel, we are also working towards an EU intelligence unit, in line with President Juncker’s announcement in his State of the Union.
I wish to thank once again Minister Andres Anvelt for his determination and efforts in moving forward together on migration and home affairs files over the last six months. I highly valued our cooperation.
Thank you for your attention.