Video: https://youtu.be/kwHBykU4r68
As you know this is our last JHA Council before the European elections. Although we are in electoral campaign – not me – I hope that the Ministers today will show political will in order to advance the following files; first, the European Border and Coast Guard, the reform of our asylum system and stepping up our cooperation with third countries. Regarding the elections, we are going to discuss how we can ensure resilience of our electoral systems in general. At the end, we are going to discuss again how we can be more effective in our fight against terrorism. It will be a very interesting meeting and, as I said in the beginning, I hope that everybody will show political will, because it is the moment and this is what our citizens expect from us; to deliver on these three files and not only.
Q: And how will you unblock the Italians?
You know that we are not here to dictate, I have repeated this. We are here to convince, to have a dialogue. I look forward to having a fruitful discussion with all our colleagues. Let me make a very political remark. What we are proposing is in the interest not only of the entire European Union but also of all Member States. We know what the situation is and we have acquired a great experience during the last four years; that is why we are not where we were before. But we have to do more in order to adopt a future proof strategy in managing migration. Once again I would like to tell you that migration as we have experienced it in Europe during the last four years will stay for the decades to come. So, Europe has to be better prepared on everything and the asylum reform is of great importance. I said before that cooperation with third countries is also very important; we have done a lot during the last four years and we shall keep working on that. It is very important to engage third countries. Now, in the beginning everybody believed that migration would be a regional problem, a regional phenomenon. It is not anymore. It has taken global dimensions; that is why we want to engage more and more third countries in order to address these issues. And then on security: You have noticed that thanks to what we have achieved during the last years by deepening trust among Member States, by exchanging information, by setting up all these important initiatives and adopting these policies we have mitigated the danger. But we have to remain vigilant. So, in general: better prepared for the future, serving the interests of the Union and responding to the demand of our citizens for more security and a more effective management of migration. Thank you.
Q. Extension of the mission Sophia?
It is up to the Italians to decide. As you know, Italy is the country in command of this operation that has proved itself very successfully. If there is any proposal to improve its function, we are here to discuss it. But, as I said before, it is up to the Italians to decide.
Q. Are there any concerns from Georgia about the number of asylum seekers?
Our cooperation with Georgia is very good. The authorities of the country are doing a good job. Yes, a lot remains to be done, but we are here to support this country to fulfil all its obligations and commitments. Thank you.