Speech in plenary on the European Parliament’s request of a holistic EU-apporach on migration

Watch my speech in plenary here:

Mr President, the report on a holistic approach to migration contains many good elements, and I would like to thank the co-rapporteurs for their excellent work on this. I consider this report an important blueprint for how the EU could create a common well-functioning asylum system fit for today.

The crisis in Europe demonstrates the complete failure of our national governments to set up a functioning asylum system fit for the world of today, but unfortunately national leaders have played the rhetoric up to such a level that they manage to convince both themselves and parts of the electorate that we cannot do anything about the crisis.

We need to get this straight: one million refugees as against 500 million Europeans represents 0.2% of our population. Compare that to a country that I visited last week, Lebanon, where a 30% ratio is facing the everyday life of the Lebanese people: there we are talking about a great influx and a big, big problem.

I am convinced that the vast majority of European citizens want to see a fair system that grants protection and dignity to people fleeing persecution and war, and at the same time they want Member States to share the responsibility in a fair way, where each country gives its contribution and shares the responsibilities.

Today I hope that we are going to send a clear message to the citizens of Europe that this European Parliament has the vision for such a system. As the rapporteur for the reform of the Dublin Regulation, I am especially proud of the joint commitment from all major political groups in this House to real reform of the Dublin Regulation, which will enable us finally to see a centralised European system where applicants are distributed fairly among EU Member States.

But after the vote of today, we will all need to get to work to ensure that this initiative is followed by determined and concrete legislation.