The commission’s proposal increases the distribution between countries in the reception of refugees and financial cooperation
The Commissioner for the Promotion of European Lifestyles, Margaritis Schinas, defended this Wednesday the need for a migration and asylum pact in light of the migration crisis in the Central Mediterranean. In his speech to the European Parliament, he assured that the number of irregular arrivals on the continent has increased by 50% this year and asked the states and political groups to give impetus to the negotiations, which have been blocked for two years.
“We cannot continue to work crisis by crisis, we need a comprehensive migration and asylum policy. It’s ironic that we have everything we need within our reach, but we can’t reach it. It’s like having a parachute and choosing to jump out of a plane without a parachute,” he said. The commission’s proposal balances member states’ solidarity and responsibility and proposes binding measures, such as the division between countries in the reception of refugees and financial cooperation for those who do not want to increase their reception capacity.
Some measures of the pact are even included in the action plan presented by Brussels this week. The proposal contains twenty measures, of which it stands out to strengthen cooperation with countries of origin to protect their borders and facilitate expulsions. Schinas also stressed the need for greater cooperation between European countries and NGOs for rescue and salvage in the Mediterranean Sea, one of the deadliest entry routes to the EU.
The bloc has already proven its reception capacity with the refugee crisis from the war in Ukraine and Schinas assured that the EU “has the necessary tools” to deal with the current situation. However, the dispute between France and Italy over the disembarkation of the 200 migrants rescued by the NGO SOS Mediterranée has led to an extraordinary Council of the Interior meeting in Brussels tomorrow. The European Commission hopes that member states will soften their positions at the meeting, which will also discuss their action plan.
Source: La Verdad
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