Video: https://youtu.be/PudzqefDHEY
Dear all,
Let me start by expressing my thanks to Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel for having taken the lead for this very important meeting here in Berlin. You have in front of you the main global stakeholders of issues directly related to migration and refugees.
I said in the beginning of the discussion today that this meeting had never taken place before the German government took this initiative 3 years ago.
We had a frank, deep, honest, open-minded discussion on all these issues.
We talked about the situation today, what is the state of play, and what can we do in the future.
We all reached the conclusion that it’s a global issue, a global responsibility. And the fact that last year, the United Nations held this very important gathering in New York, where leaders from all over the world were committed to work together, to cooperate in order to address all these challenges that are putting in danger the values and principles upon which the post-war world is build, including the European Union.
For the European Union, migration is an issue of global concern, common responsibility and common actions.
Let me tell you that we are not where we were 3 years ago. The European Union was taken by surprise, but then we got organised. We adopted our European Agenda on Migration, a lot of schemes are implemented, some of these are facing hurdles because of the political stance not by Member States, but by their governments.
Let me make a distinction here between Member States and governments. Governments will be held accountable in the future if they don’t comply with what we all have decided.
Our European efforts to reform the common asylum system, to resettle refugees, our cooperation with Turkey, the Western Balkans, North and Sub-Saharan Africa are clear examples of the progress that we have made over the past two years.
What we need is to get out of the crisis modus regarding migration, and think holistically and in the long run.
From a European perspective, that is the only way to address the migratory challenges along the central Mediterranean route.
The high number of deaths, the huge number of arrivals in Italy this year is a call for actions.
As you know, the EU was closely involved in preparing the New York Declaration and is committed to taking a leading role in the follow-up to the New York Summit last September in developing the future Global compacts on Migration and on Refugees.
We need to move beyond declarations and make sure we deliver.
Words must be translated into concrete actions on the ground.
This is why working with key third countries and strategic partners such as the United Nations, the International Organisation for Migration and the Red Cross is essential for the EU.
Dear friends,
We are living in the era of human mobility. The question therefore is not how to “stop” it but how to better manage and control it, to the benefit of everyone.
This is why development, climate and even trade policies are important in this equation. It is a global phenomenon that requires a global approach.
Only by working together can we transform migration from a challenge into an opportunity.
Thank you.