Minister for Immigration and Asylum, Jean Asselborn, chaired part of the informal meeting on Ministry of Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) yesterday evening, to discuss migration issues.
The focus of talks included the migration emergency in the Mediterranean, as well as the fight against human trafficking and the control and management of migratory flows, including issues related to the relocation and resettlement of people within European countries. This meeting was held following several recent working trips made by Minister Asselborn around Europe to discuss current migration problems, including his visit to the Migrant Reception Centre on the Italian island of Lampedusa.
In the presence of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Antonio Guterres; the director of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), William Lacy Swing; as well as current and candidate countries to the EU and relevant European agencies, ministers began an informal meeting by monitoring the EU action plan against refugee smuggling.
"The smuggling of migrants is claiming the lives of many people and generates billions of dollars for criminals; this breeds corruption and strengthens organised crime, which has an impact on the countries of origin, of transit and of destination," stressed Minister Asselborn on the importance of the issue. He also emphasised the need to strengthen national and European coordination and systematic cooperation with the financial intelligence units and European agencies.
Ministers continued the discussion with external aspects of resettlement. Recalling that the current migratory movements are the highest since the Second World War, Minister Asselborn pointed out the importance of resettlement as one solution to make. He also emphasised the need to address the source to the forced displacement of people, and highglighted the necessity of a resettlement scheme in which all Member States would participate. Minister Asselborn, supported by others, stressed that "solidarity and responsibility go hand in hand." The discussions helped to overcome the relocation target of 20,000 people in Europe.
The discussion ended with a thorough examination of the internal aspects of asylum, particularly in terms of relocation. The Commission presented the state of preparations of hotspots and the financial aspects. "As to relocation, the debate was difficult, but the discussions were constructive and fruitful. A lot of progress has been achieved today," said the Minister, assuring that an agreement would be reached before the end of July.
A further meeting of the JHA Council will take place on 20 July 2015 in Brussels to finalise the work.
Photo by Artur Leonardo Kurkowiak (Minister for Immigration and Asylum, Jean Asselborn)
