Dear all,
I am glad to be here in Paris, together with Secretary-General Angel Gurria, for the launch of the 2017 International Migration Outlook of the OECD.
The OECD is an important partner for the European Commission and has been doing great work in providing facts and figures on migration.
We need this evidence on migration, particularly at a moment when much around this debate is based on emotions and assumptions.
Migration today is increasingly perceived as only a challenge, a cause of instability or even a potential threat.
But mobility is and always has been a universal feature of humanity.
Today, one in every seven person in the world is a migrant.
Migration, if well managed, can be seen in positive way, both for people on the move and for hosting societies.
We have been working in the past two years to change missconceptions and perceptions. Believe me it was not easy.
People move for a variety of reasons. We need to maximise the benefits of regular and orderly migration and mobility, and protect those in need, in particular the most vulnerable such as children.
We must also reply pragmatically to common challenges that emerge if migration is uncontrolled, irregular or not well managed.
As the report presented today shows: we know that migration overall is on the rise and yes humanitarian migration in particular was high in the last two years, but family migration and work remain the two important channels of legal migration to the EU.
There is a lot of confusion and miscommunication about migration today.
But the findings of the OECD help us to dispel some myths:
1) Migration to the EU as such is not new or recent.
2) The majority of migrants entering the EU come in a legal and controlled way – for family, work or study reasons.
In fact, almost a third of residence permits granted to non-EU citizens were for persons immigrating for family reasons.
Beyond the importance of respecting and fully implementing the EU rules and conditions when it comes to for example family reunification but also asylum and protection, Europe should also continue to invest in integration.
And this means: integration of ALL those who have a right to stay, not just the recently arrived refugees.
It is encouraging to see that the labour market integration of immigrants overall is slowly improving.
But EU Member States need to reinforce specific measures to support the integration of vulnerable migrants such as refugees but also family migrants and in particular women who have large inactivity rates.
If we want to turn migration into a success story, we need to work on all fronts.
A comprehensive integration strategy goes hand in hand with a strong European asylum policy, as well as a solid implementation of other legal migration channels not only family reunification, but also well-managed channels to attract highly-skilled workers, through the new Blue Card system, as well as students and seasonal workers for example.
At the same time, the internal and external dimensions of migration are closely connected.
Migration right now is at the heart of the EU external actions.
The EU has strengthened its cooperation with countries of origin and transit.
With North and Sub-Saharan Africa, the EU is enhancing mobility partnerships and developing compacts, aimed at managing migration better at all levels.
If we want to reduce irregular and dangerous arrivals, we need to understand and address why people leave their homes in the first place.
This is why we provide financial support through the European Development Fund and the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa,
to improve the livelihood of people and to reinforce protection and resilience of migrants, refugees and host communities in Africa.
The European Union was also closely engaged in preparing the New York Declaration and is committed to play a leading role in developing the future Global compacts on Migration and on Refugees in the UN context.
Because ultimately, managing migration is a global challenge.
Only by working together can we transform what many see as a challenge into a true opportunity and success for all.
Finally, let me conclude by congratulating and thanking the OECD and Secretary General Gurria for their support during the last two years.
I don’t hesitate to tell you that in the beginning of this very challenging situation, Europe was taken by surprise. Member States had no idea of how to manage this situation. But we are not today where we were two and a half years ago.
In the meantime, we have been very much helped and supported and this report has been a regular tool in our hands to beter understand the situation. I believe that at the end of these adventures that we entered 2.5 years ago, Europe will be in a position to manage in a more successful way situations like these in the future.
We need the important evidence and data of the OECD and its annual international migration outlook report.
But we cannot forget that migration is not just about numbers, but about people.
In fact, the annual figures of the OECD remind us that migration is not something that can or should be stopped – but it can and should be better managed.
The EU has made incredible progress in the last two years on all fronts. Now is the moment to get out of the crisis-mode. Because migration should not only be considered a crisis. Human mobility is a defining feature of the 21st century.
The historians of the future may name or call this century as the era of human mobility. The responsibility lies with all of us in how we respond.
Thank you OECD and Secretary general Guria for what you have done and you keep doing, in order to adopt a more comprehensive and holistic migration policy based on values and principles.