:00:42. > :00:51.Before I give the floor to the Commissioner, good morning to you,
:00:52. > :00:54.Commissioner, I want to announce the counsel has excused itself from this
:00:55. > :00:59.morning's de-debate. Commissioner I invite you to take the floor to open
:01:00. > :01:09.our debate. Thank you. Good morning to you as well. Also the Parliament.
:01:10. > :01:19.First of all I would like to express my thanks for this timely debate on
:01:20. > :01:32.migration. Just a few hours before we will adopt the 12th report.
:01:33. > :01:37.There's no doubt that it's vital for the success of our migration and
:01:38. > :01:46.asylum policies based on solidarity and responsibility. We have said it
:01:47. > :01:55.many times before in this room. This is why it's so essential that the
:01:56. > :02:02.location works in all its aspects and is implemented by everyone. For
:02:03. > :02:11.this, one element remains critical for the success of this scheme. The
:02:12. > :02:20.political will, the political determination and the mutual
:02:21. > :02:25.co-operation and trust between the member states and the beneficiary
:02:26. > :02:35.member states. This is not to the benefit of just Italy or Greece this
:02:36. > :02:41.is to the benefit of the entire European Union and our European
:02:42. > :02:47.asylum system because a well functioning relocation scheme is
:02:48. > :02:54.also essential to prevent secondary movements and preserve the integrity
:02:55. > :03:00.of the free borders Schengen area. Member states have so far relocated
:03:01. > :03:08.in total more than 18,000 persons and we have to acknowledge the
:03:09. > :03:12.tangible important progress made on re-Lee koigs, especially during the
:03:13. > :03:21.last few months. Further efforts have however needed and member
:03:22. > :03:26.states should, therefore, deploy the additional efforts and flexibility
:03:27. > :03:34.to make relocation of all eligible applicants currently present in
:03:35. > :03:40.Italy and in Greece happen. But this cannot be the responsibility of just
:03:41. > :03:52.a few member states. This has to be shared by all member states. Our
:03:53. > :04:00.common goal is for all member states to contribute fairly and
:04:01. > :04:04.proportionally to relocation. Right now, 12,500 eligible applicants in
:04:05. > :04:12.Greece and around 4,000 in Italy are Regster and ready to be relocated.
:04:13. > :04:16.If all member states step up the number of relocations it's
:04:17. > :04:23.absolutely possible to achieve this goal by September. It is time, as I
:04:24. > :04:30.said before, to show political will and determination. Member states
:04:31. > :04:36.should also fully implement the recommendations that we put forward
:04:37. > :04:41.in our regular reports. Most importantly, member states should
:04:42. > :04:47.increase their monthly pledges in proportion to their relocations and
:04:48. > :04:56.increase the capacity to process application requests. While many
:04:57. > :04:59.member states have increased their contributions, there are,
:05:00. > :05:07.regrettably, still a few member states that have not relocated a
:05:08. > :05:18.single person. I want to be clear on that, this is in breach of their
:05:19. > :05:24.obligations. More generally, member states should also avoid over
:05:25. > :05:30.restrictive or arbitrary (inaudible). Limited requirements
:05:31. > :05:39.causing delays in the transfer procedure and give priority to
:05:40. > :05:45.applications to vulnerable applicants in particular minors. In
:05:46. > :05:55.addition the Commission urges Italy to speed up the procedures to
:05:56. > :05:58.identify and register relocation all eligible applicants into finding
:05:59. > :06:03.mutually acceptable interviews with relocating within member states. All
:06:04. > :06:15.those elible for relocation arriving in Italy need to be orderly
:06:16. > :06:24.channelled to specific relow dogs destination hubs. -- relow indicate
:06:25. > :06:36.I'm glad to see that your draft resolution includes many of these
:06:37. > :06:44.recommendations. I can count on your support, it's better to say, to
:06:45. > :06:49.convince governments to implement them fully. Relocation is a joint
:06:50. > :06:59.effort that requires all member states to contribute. Relocation is
:07:00. > :07:04.both an obligation and a moral duty. Thank you for your attention and I
:07:05. > :07:11.thank the Parliament for its continued support.
:07:12. > :07:18.APPLAUSE Thank you, Commissioner wef now move
:07:19. > :07:23.to our speakers. I give the floor for one-and-a-half minutes. Thank
:07:24. > :07:33.you. TRANSLATION: Thank you, madam
:07:34. > :07:37.president. To the Commissioner, thank you for your presentation and
:07:38. > :07:40.for the updates. It's a shame however that the Council is not
:07:41. > :07:45.present here this morning because I think a lot of the questions that
:07:46. > :07:48.colleagues will be asking this morning are directed to council, I
:07:49. > :07:55.really regret the fact that the council is not here. In September,
:07:56. > :08:01.two years ago, the Council adointedded this decision -- adopted
:08:02. > :08:05.this decision. We saw 180,000 people were coming in every month. Its with
:08:06. > :08:10.a crisis period. We felt, therefore, that we needed to have a permanent
:08:11. > :08:16.system which would allow us to avert this kind of crisis using the Dublin
:08:17. > :08:23.system. I agree with the Commissioner in that development in
:08:24. > :08:31.recent months give us cause for cautious optimism, but it's also too
:08:32. > :08:35.little, too late. 160,000 is no longer relevant given the in flow
:08:36. > :08:40.now. We have to ensure all candidates who are qualified do
:08:41. > :08:45.actually get a pace. I really wonder how it is that some countries have
:08:46. > :08:49.done absolutely nothing and countries like Italy only 8,000
:08:50. > :08:53.people have actually been registered over the last one-and-a-half years.
:08:54. > :08:58.That has to be tackled as well. I have to say, I've never been in
:08:59. > :09:01.favour of compulsory quotas, but in September 2015 and in the last
:09:02. > :09:07.one-and-a-half years we see that the voluntary system is not working, so
:09:08. > :09:15.we need to do something about this. Now for two minutes.
:09:16. > :09:22.TRANSLATION: Thank you, madam president thank you Commissioner.
:09:23. > :09:26.Solidarity is not a mechanism which is applied a la carte. It's into the
:09:27. > :09:32.a choice of compassion in the face of someone fleeing war and
:09:33. > :09:38.persecution. Solidarity is a full sharing of responsibilities and
:09:39. > :09:47.these are key principles of our situation and instruments that we
:09:48. > :09:50.use under certain conditions. If the nationality of the beneficiaries is
:09:51. > :09:54.something we like, then we can accept them. Well, that's a
:09:55. > :10:01.discriminatory way of going about this. Also this applies as well to
:10:02. > :10:06.the same lack of commitment. If people choose to deny these rights,
:10:07. > :10:10.it's a violation of human dignity. Thousands of men, women and
:10:11. > :10:16.particularly children are calling for their fundamental rights and we
:10:17. > :10:21.are depriving them of a future. We have to look at the efforts put in
:10:22. > :10:31.by member states. Well, it's like looking at a glass with just a few
:10:32. > :10:33.drops of water in it. 11% of these people need international
:10:34. > :10:39.protection, but that's not something to be proud of. Only two member
:10:40. > :10:44.states out of 28 have actually taken up their commitments. Many others I
:10:45. > :10:51.think really could actually do much more. There are only some who very
:10:52. > :10:56.slowly, I think, are doing their job and their duty. So what's going to
:10:57. > :11:01.happen after the 27th September 2017? Well what will be the
:11:02. > :11:08.obligations which apply after that date? Mr Commissioner, basically, we
:11:09. > :11:10.have to look at this question of infringement procedures because that
:11:11. > :11:15.in itself will not force member states to accept and shoulder their
:11:16. > :11:21.commitments. We need a policy which will allow safe and legal migration
:11:22. > :11:24.challenges and we -- channels and we need integration policies as well in
:11:25. > :11:36.the host countries. Thank you. Thank you.
:11:37. > :11:47.TRANSLATION: Thank you, madam president. 160,000 people are to be
:11:48. > :11:53.transferred from Italy and Greece to member states including Belgium,
:11:54. > :12:23.how to fill these places because how to fill these places because
:12:24. > :12:24.The Commissioners report show that The Commissioners report show
:12:25. > :12:24.Greece and Italy are not managing to Greece and Italy are not
:12:25. > :12:25.there. Is a huge backlog with organise the inflow
:12:26. > :12:25.registration in Italy. I think it's registration in Italy. I think
:12:26. > :12:26.not right to simply point the finger not right to simply point the
:12:27. > :12:28.and it's not true that hardly any refugees have been relocated. Most
:12:29. > :12:29.of the refugee seekers travel themselves to northern and western
:12:30. > :12:33.fact. As regard the Dublin rules and fact. As regard the Dublin rules and
:12:34. > :12:42.reception and registration in the first country of arrival, that is
:12:43. > :12:46.hardly being respected at all. We need to close the external borders
:12:47. > :12:51.otherwise we are never going to get control of the situation. Every
:12:52. > :12:55.asylum seeker who arrives illegally in member states using human
:12:56. > :13:02.traffickers should be sent back to a safe place in the region of origin
:13:03. > :13:06.as long as we reward people arriving illegally, people will continue to
:13:07. > :13:12.risk their lives by travelling. We have to move to a system of legal
:13:13. > :13:16.arrivals and have to have some kind of maximum limit. Thank you. Now two
:13:17. > :13:24.minutes. TRANSLATION: Thank you very much,
:13:25. > :13:29.madam president. Well the decision about the distribution for refugees
:13:30. > :13:34.necessity as a solidarity measure by necessity as a solidarity measure by
:13:35. > :13:43.member states. I want to stress this, without a proper EU asylum
:13:44. > :13:50.system then there is still a lack of rules at the European level. The
:13:51. > :14:01.only answer to refugees coming to Europe has been simply to close the
:14:02. > :14:04.borders, control the borders. 62,000 asylum seekers are still waiting in
:14:05. > :14:09.Germany for place in one of the 28 member states. Whereas countries
:14:10. > :14:12.like Jordan, the Lebanon, Iraq, Turkey, suns the beginning of the
:14:13. > :14:19.Syria conflict, five years ago, have been taking in millions and millions
:14:20. > :14:22.of refugees. So I'd like to remind the European Council that the
:14:23. > :14:31.relocation decision was the decision of the Council itself and was
:14:32. > :14:37.adopted by the Council. We will be looking at a resolution on Syria,
:14:38. > :14:40.the EU strategy on Syria and the EU relationship with the Middle East.
:14:41. > :14:46.How can we remain credible at the international level if we are not in
:14:47. > :14:50.a position to enforce small solidarity measures within our own
:14:51. > :14:53.borders when our own Heads of State and government do not follow up the
:14:54. > :14:59.commitments that they've signed up to and that all member states have
:15:00. > :15:04.committed in binding manner to actually implementing? So far we've
:15:05. > :15:09.only had a small level of relocation. That's not a question of
:15:10. > :15:17.ability, that's a question of willpower. I think that's clear to
:15:18. > :15:22.all of us. So an appeal to all of us, it's now high time that the
:15:23. > :15:23.member states fold up with their own commitments that they entered into
:15:24. > :15:36.voluntarily. TRANSLATION: Thank you. Thank you,
:15:37. > :15:39.Commissioner. This is not the first time this Parliament has called on
:15:40. > :15:46.member states to respect their commitments and on the commission to
:15:47. > :15:50.put an end to the optimism that's been here for some time now, we are
:15:51. > :15:58.also calling on member states to avoid subterfuge. The refusal to
:15:59. > :16:04.relocate, for example, those refugees who reached Greece after
:16:05. > :16:06.the 20th of March 20 16th with the agreement with Turkey, apparently
:16:07. > :16:15.that is illegal according to the court. Allow me to add a further
:16:16. > :16:21.comment, relocation, if linked to the hotspot approach and the idea to
:16:22. > :16:26.read transfer back to Greece and Italy on the basis of the Dublin
:16:27. > :16:32.system, those refugees who have reached other countries, it will
:16:33. > :16:35.fail because I think all of these measures together undermines the
:16:36. > :16:41.ability of Greece and Italy to manage refugee and migrant flows,
:16:42. > :16:49.and as far as Italy is concerned, in 2015 and 20 16th there were 5049
:16:50. > :16:55.Dublin transfers and 3936 relocations. In other words more
:16:56. > :17:04.people were actually sent back to Italy than were actually transferred
:17:05. > :17:10.from Italy. So we need relocation but relocation alone is not enough.
:17:11. > :17:19.Very often the commission does whatever it can to help Italy and
:17:20. > :17:22.Greece to effect an erroneous system and a situation which has become
:17:23. > :17:28.unsustainable, and I would like response on that please,
:17:29. > :17:33.Commissioner. Two minutes, please. I would really like to thank all
:17:34. > :17:36.colleagues who have been working together with the whole house on
:17:37. > :17:41.making this resolution work, and I think it shows how united the
:17:42. > :17:44.Parliament is in calling for solidarity amongst member states and
:17:45. > :17:49.also with refugees, and I would also like to thank the commission and the
:17:50. > :17:52.Commissioner especially for again and again putting a lot of emphasis
:17:53. > :17:57.on the fact that this solidarity needs to be shown and this
:17:58. > :18:00.relocation needs to be made happening. Relocation I think is a
:18:01. > :18:07.very important tool for solidarity but it is also very important
:18:08. > :18:10.humanitarian tool. It helps member states who have received a lot of
:18:11. > :18:14.refugees and it helps the refugees to find a place of safety and a
:18:15. > :18:17.place where they can build a new future. But I would even say it
:18:18. > :18:21.gives a great opportunity for member states who did not have a lot of
:18:22. > :18:25.experience yet with refugees as they will get support from the commission
:18:26. > :18:31.and they will gain experience and it will be a one accommodation where
:18:32. > :18:34.you know where the refugee comes and who the refugee is which is not the
:18:35. > :18:39.norm that any member state might face in the near future. It is very
:18:40. > :18:42.disappointing that the council is not present here today because the
:18:43. > :18:46.problem is not with the people speaking here, the problem lies with
:18:47. > :18:51.the member states. As colleagues have pointed out, the problem is not
:18:52. > :18:55.one of capacity and how shall we do it, it is purely a problem of
:18:56. > :18:59.political will. It is a very scandalous lack of political will
:19:00. > :19:03.because we are talking here about people who are fleeing from war and
:19:04. > :19:09.persecution and unaccompanied minors, they are mainly stuck in
:19:10. > :19:16.Italy and Greece, and how horrible can that be to leave unaccompanied
:19:17. > :19:25.children alone and overcrowding -- in overcrowding camps with no plans
:19:26. > :19:29.for the future. I welcome the plan is to take action against member
:19:30. > :19:33.states not doing anything. Yes, we still need a good Dublin system that
:19:34. > :19:37.puts solidarity in place and we do need common rules and legal access
:19:38. > :19:41.and all those things, but relocation is the first step that will show how
:19:42. > :19:54.serious we are about our business. Thank you. Thank you. Mr Finch, one
:19:55. > :19:57.minute. This question is next essential one for the EU, and you'll
:19:58. > :20:10.answer this will define the future of your project -- is an existential
:20:11. > :20:16.one. Is it going to be a union of enlightened self-interest or a
:20:17. > :20:21.coercive structure feared and hated in equal parts by its constituents
:20:22. > :20:27.and bound one day to explode in a welter of vindictiveness. I urge you
:20:28. > :20:33.to look to the self-interest of your project, your peoples and your
:20:34. > :20:37.nations, however, my experience of the direction of your mentality
:20:38. > :20:43.leads me to the sad conclusion that you will continue along the lines,
:20:44. > :20:50.along the path of self-destruction, both in terms of encouraging
:20:51. > :20:55.destructive economic migration from those poor benighted countries and
:20:56. > :21:03.in terms of sowing discord amongst your constituent nations. Thank you.
:21:04. > :21:13.TRANSLATION: Thank you, Madam President. Working together with
:21:14. > :21:17.human traffickers, they have each other's telephone numbers and they
:21:18. > :21:20.are organising this flow of refugees, the boats are waiting for
:21:21. > :21:29.them on the Libyan coast and that was confirmed but they are doing
:21:30. > :21:36.nothing about it. ... Even meant last week there was a crash between
:21:37. > :21:40.a Dutch flag and the Libyan coast guard and the coastguard was shot
:21:41. > :21:47.at. Normally Italy should not even let these people in but the EU is
:21:48. > :21:54.obliging it to. The United Nations has said less than 3% of these
:21:55. > :21:59.people will get recognition so that means 97% of the hundreds of
:22:00. > :22:01.thousands of these people are illegal but equally they have no
:22:02. > :22:07.chance and they are not wanted and they should be sent back. Therefore
:22:08. > :22:09.what should happen is that we do not relocate these migrants because we
:22:10. > :22:17.are soon be rewarding them for criminal behaviour. Anyone entering
:22:18. > :22:20.an EU country illegally should be excluded and denied the right to any
:22:21. > :22:24.kind of residence permit and that will make sure that it is no longer
:22:25. > :22:31.attractive and we should stop cooperation with them and we should
:22:32. > :22:43.prosecute them if necessary. I think that we need to start by dealing
:22:44. > :22:46.with the ship last week. I normally restrict questions to those who have
:22:47. > :22:54.not contributed to the debate but we are on time so I will allow you 30
:22:55. > :23:02.seconds of your questions. You except a blue card? Ash accept. Go
:23:03. > :23:11.ahead. I will keep it brief, and I wanted to ask my colleague one
:23:12. > :23:18.thing, who sees NGO beryl macro as a dangerous factor question not --
:23:19. > :23:24.NGOs as a dangerous factor? Are they being dishonest when they are going
:23:25. > :23:33.out there? 30 seconds for your response, please. TRANSLATION: In
:23:34. > :23:38.this case my sympathy lies with Italy, it is so desperate that now
:23:39. > :23:43.they are even giving boats to the Libyan coastguard to try and do
:23:44. > :23:51.something about the situation, and look at the United Nations figures,
:23:52. > :23:57.only 3% will finally get recognition as asylum seekers and so the NGOs
:23:58. > :24:00.are helping the 97% to get to the other side, however you look at
:24:01. > :24:14.this. It is quite right to criticise them. One minute, please.
:24:15. > :24:20.TRANSLATION: President, since 2015 the European Union has been dealing
:24:21. > :24:27.with its greatest ever challenge and that is the migration of the
:24:28. > :24:33.People's and this is a danger to the culture and identity of Europe. The
:24:34. > :24:39.commission is still busying itself with trying to give the up the
:24:40. > :24:49.refugees amongst the member states, but who is a refugee then? The
:24:50. > :24:52.European Parliament has proposed a report that suggests that migrants
:24:53. > :24:56.just want to come here because they want to live better and they should
:24:57. > :25:00.be dealt with inexact be the same manner as those who have tried to
:25:01. > :25:05.escape political persecution -- dealt with in exactly the same
:25:06. > :25:09.manner. There are countries like Hungary who do not want to accept
:25:10. > :25:13.this and they will simply not go along with it. Where there is
:25:14. > :25:18.basically attempt to build parallel societies within their own, that is
:25:19. > :25:29.why we refuse this process and I'm totally in agreement with that.
:25:30. > :25:34.TRANSLATION: Relocation is a common effort must be carried out wisely
:25:35. > :25:38.and responsibly, taking into account the varied level of preparedness of
:25:39. > :25:44.society to accept refugees in order to make sure of the safety of
:25:45. > :25:48.Europeans. So that asylum holders are not exposed to aggression and
:25:49. > :25:53.populists cannot be given a pretext to criticise Brussels. Prosecution
:25:54. > :25:59.should be voluntary for member states. But member states need to
:26:00. > :26:02.meet their voluntary commitments and they need to prepare the structures
:26:03. > :26:09.for staffing and educate their societies adequately, and this is
:26:10. > :26:15.what the associations are doing in Athens and Sicily, on voluntary and
:26:16. > :26:18.proportionate access and they should fulfil their previous commitments
:26:19. > :26:22.and I don't understand why the Polish government refused to accept
:26:23. > :26:28.7000 refugees including children, this was the commitment of the
:26:29. > :26:31.previous government. 40 million nation can really afford that and
:26:32. > :26:35.that is why I'm proud of the initiative of the mayors of many
:26:36. > :26:40.Polish villages and towns that have announced they are willing to accept
:26:41. > :26:44.refugees even if these are numbers of 5-6 children, and if a small
:26:45. > :26:50.committee can take care of a small family, let's allow them to do it.
:26:51. > :26:54.-- a small community. Not everyone in my country is insensitive to the
:26:55. > :26:56.suffering of others and our civil society is doing quite well although
:26:57. > :27:02.the government is trying to limit our freedoms. Polish people are
:27:03. > :27:07.offering help by organising humanitarian corridors, and the
:27:08. > :27:11.Polish government who is using Catholic values as their main
:27:12. > :27:15.arguments is not really treating it serious, and this should not be
:27:16. > :27:20.treated as key to resolving this, this is one of the instruments and
:27:21. > :27:35.Europe has many of them. Thank you. One and a half minutes. TRANSLATION:
:27:36. > :27:40.Thank you, Madam President. It is an international legal obligation that
:27:41. > :27:48.side should be offered to those in danger of persecution -- that asylum
:27:49. > :27:51.should be offered. Relocation of refugees is not just a demonstration
:27:52. > :27:56.of solidarity but also of our sense of responsibility. And we can't
:27:57. > :28:02.simply leave it to the member states on the external borders. If they had
:28:03. > :28:11.to shoulder the entire burden, the asylum system will collapse and it
:28:12. > :28:19.will lead to suffering and chaos. We need a stronger system or if the
:28:20. > :28:29.asylum system doesn't work properly then Schengen and the whole European
:28:30. > :28:35.project will be put in jeopardy. There are people who say that the
:28:36. > :28:40.European Union wants to let everyone in without importing any kind of
:28:41. > :28:44.control but that is not true. Those who propagate hate and fear are not
:28:45. > :28:47.interested in truth. It is their strategy to take political power and
:28:48. > :28:55.they don't have any solutions will stop but they do everything to make
:28:56. > :28:58.sure that solutions do not work. But the demi dogs themselves will fall
:28:59. > :29:02.we demand that the member states comply with their implementation --
:29:03. > :29:14.demigods. Thank you, one minute, please.
:29:15. > :29:18.TRANSLATION: Well, back to the same thing, Commissioner. The refugees,
:29:19. > :29:25.the migrants, arriving in Italy and Greece. Thousands of refugees and
:29:26. > :29:28.illegal migrants as well have ended up on the Greek islands. There are
:29:29. > :29:32.clashes between them. All this is happening in the summer when things
:29:33. > :29:47.are supposed to be calm for the tourist season. We have seen only
:29:48. > :29:51.11,339 relocations. 17% of the figure established for Greece, but
:29:52. > :29:56.the programme is going to expire in a few months' time. The Commission,
:29:57. > :30:03.however, has not really taken any measures. Germany, even, has not
:30:04. > :30:07.stepped up to the mark. Only 12% relocations have happened with
:30:08. > :30:13.Germany. Only 22% of those agreed with France. So what, finally, is
:30:14. > :30:17.going to happen? Is this relocation process going to work? Italy and
:30:18. > :30:22.Greece cannot stand this situation any longer. We are flooded by
:30:23. > :30:25.refugees and they have to be relocated from our countries into
:30:26. > :30:32.the remaining countries of Europe. Thank you. Thank you, one minute.
:30:33. > :30:39.TRANSLATION: Thank you very much, Commissioner. Thank you madam
:30:40. > :30:45.president. The issue of refugees is one that affects lives and hopes and
:30:46. > :30:49.destinies and in the conclusion to the opening remarks you said this is
:30:50. > :31:01.a moral duty as well as an obligation. Well, this simply to
:31:02. > :31:05.respect our own commitments. All member states should do so. It's not
:31:06. > :31:08.acceptable that one member state should decide not to implement
:31:09. > :31:11.decision that is they've taken themselves. There are a couple of
:31:12. > :31:15.bottlenecks that need to be resolved here. We needed to reduce the delays
:31:16. > :31:20.for decisions to be made. That's very important, not only for Italy
:31:21. > :31:26.and Greece, but also for European policies on the whole, and, given
:31:27. > :31:32.the situation, we have a moral duty to protect vulnerable people in
:31:33. > :31:37.particular. Particular priority needs to be given to children. In
:31:38. > :31:42.Europe we cannot simply allow children to fall prey to people
:31:43. > :31:50.traffickers and abusers. I've read in the report that some member
:31:51. > :31:54.states are simply refusing to relocate unaccompanying minors. The
:31:55. > :31:57.refugee crisis could put at question who we are and we have to rise to
:31:58. > :32:03.the challenge. Thank you. One-and-a-half minutes.
:32:04. > :32:12.TRANSLATION: The decision taken by the EU to have a refugee relocation
:32:13. > :32:15.programme has largely remained unimplemented because of the refusal
:32:16. > :32:22.of certain member states to comply with this. According to the
:32:23. > :32:25.Commission, less than one fifth of the relocation targets has been
:32:26. > :32:32.respected for refugees from Italy and Greece. So we have to realise
:32:33. > :32:37.that solidarity is something which is anchored in the EU treaties and
:32:38. > :32:46.it involves everyone with no exemptions. All EU member states.
:32:47. > :32:50.They cannot pick and choose. Will is a common stance and co-operation
:32:51. > :32:53.which has been foreseen between member states, but in practice we
:32:54. > :33:03.are not seeing the required solidarity. These facts, together
:33:04. > :33:09.with the fact that some member states are cherry-picking amongst
:33:10. > :33:14.refugees and migrants on the basis of their own nationality that does
:33:15. > :33:21.not honour our principles and values in the EU. We have, I believe, to
:33:22. > :33:26.set up a fairer and particularly more effective framework for the
:33:27. > :33:30.takeup and fair distribution of the refugees in the forthcoming months
:33:31. > :33:38.and years. We should not make excuses any longer. Thank you. One
:33:39. > :33:43.minute, please. TRANSLATION: Thank you. 160,000
:33:44. > :33:47.people are to be relocated from Italy and Greece to other member
:33:48. > :33:54.states. That was the intention. It was an exercise on al-Darrylty,
:33:55. > :33:59.solidarity with refugees and solidarity with member states. --
:34:00. > :34:04.solidarity. Two years on not many of those 160,000 have been relocated.
:34:05. > :34:09.Even worse there seems to have been a new definition created. All
:34:10. > :34:15.refugees arriving in Greece after the March 2016 were not to be
:34:16. > :34:21.relocated. Why not? Who came up with this? This Parliament agreed three
:34:22. > :34:32.times and approved the relocation system three times. This clause was
:34:33. > :34:37.not included. The Turke issued a press statement. We don't see the
:34:38. > :34:49.clause written on pain any anywhere. Member states are not meeting their
:34:50. > :34:58.quote yeahs. Ing quote Yeos. They -- Croat yas. -- quotas. Thank you.
:34:59. > :35:02.TRANSLATION: Thank you, madam president. Let's be honest
:35:03. > :35:09.colleagues, this situation is a huge shame. Thousands of people who
:35:10. > :35:17.should have been relocated. 160,000. So far only 18,400 have been
:35:18. > :35:23.relocated. That leaves us with 142,097 by September. That's the EU
:35:24. > :35:28.solidarity that everyone is talking about, populism, intervention, the
:35:29. > :35:34.stronger EU - we are still in this situation here. Italy and Greece
:35:35. > :35:40.have been chosen as a refugee camp for the entire EU. I come from
:35:41. > :35:45.Sicily. Sicily is on its knees because the policy for managing
:35:46. > :35:52.migrants as well, well, we saw 60 odd people arrested who were
:35:53. > :35:55.involved with organised crime, there was speculating on migrants. We're
:35:56. > :36:00.still talking. So, basically, what we have to do here is to switch from
:36:01. > :36:04.words to acts. The structural funds should be cut to those member states
:36:05. > :36:14.who refuse to do their bit. Thank you. Thank you. Will you accept a
:36:15. > :36:22.blue card? 30 second. Thank you very much. Your colleague, besides the
:36:23. > :36:25.moral duty mentioned here by the Commissioner, considering this moral
:36:26. > :36:31.duty of the member states, don't you think the member states should also
:36:32. > :36:35.meet their legal obligations to accept the migrants and probably
:36:36. > :36:39.might be time for the European institutions should have to think to
:36:40. > :36:40.impose some sanctions on the countries that don't accept
:36:41. > :36:56.immigrants? Thank you. TRANSLATION: Thank you for that
:36:57. > :36:59.question. That's precisely what we're trying to do. That is what I
:37:00. > :37:06.was trying to say at the end of my speech. Unfortunately, we've used
:37:07. > :37:08.words, we've called for solidarity and mentioned legal obligations.
:37:09. > :37:14.That's got us nowhere. We need probably to change our mind-set. We
:37:15. > :37:18.have to stop the European structural funds to those states who have not
:37:19. > :37:22.respected their commitments who have not accepted to take up migrants who
:37:23. > :37:23.should be relocated into their countries. It can be done, so let's
:37:24. > :37:46.get on with it. One minnow. -- minute now.
:37:47. > :37:50.TRANSLATION: Thank you, president. I just don't understand things here,
:37:51. > :37:53.really. The whole subject of the debate is relocation. It seems it
:37:54. > :37:59.doesn't work very well. In he reality, we're talking about a tiny
:38:00. > :38:02.piece of a much larger problem. If it was just a question of
:38:03. > :38:12.relocation, then that would be great. But last year in Italy
:38:13. > :38:19.180,000 people landed. Maybe 5% of those might be escaping from war or
:38:20. > :38:23.political refugees. It's only this 5% that need to be relocated. Is
:38:24. > :38:27.that right? No, the problem is all the others. What are we doing to
:38:28. > :38:33.bring them home? What do we plan to do? Are we going to leave them all
:38:34. > :38:35.in Italy? This is the big problem that no-one is talking about in this
:38:36. > :38:40.room. What are these people going to do at the end of the day? Are they
:38:41. > :38:44.going to work on the black market? Are they going to fall into the
:38:45. > :38:53.hands of organised crime in this week, in my own town, people were
:38:54. > :38:56.arrested who had asylum requests ongoing they were selling drugs and
:38:57. > :39:01.stealing things. I think what's going on now is basically a kind of
:39:02. > :39:04.slave trade. Who are the accomplices? It's those who are
:39:05. > :39:12.doing nothing to solve the situation. Thank you. For
:39:13. > :39:17.one-and-a-half minutes now. TRANSLATION: Thank you very much
:39:18. > :39:23.indeed madam president. Commissioner, colleagues, on the
:39:24. > :39:27.26th September, as we well know, we have the deadline for the end of
:39:28. > :39:31.this agreement. The efforts have been made, but the programme is not
:39:32. > :39:37.working as it should for three basic reasons. Because there are certain
:39:38. > :39:42.member states that haven't taken up any refugees others have been cherry
:39:43. > :39:46.picking on the basis of refugee pro files. Other member states take two
:39:47. > :39:52.to three months to respond to applications. Only 12,000 people,
:39:53. > :39:57.12,500, have been relocated from Greece. So we're far off our
:39:58. > :40:01.objectives. Commissioner, you know perfectly well that the agreement
:40:02. > :40:06.between the EU and Turkey is also showing problems. Since the
:40:07. > :40:12.agreement was signed, 23,000 new migrants and refugees have arrived
:40:13. > :40:16.in Greece. On the contrary, only 1,000 returned to Turkey. It's a
:40:17. > :40:19.huge problem. It's only with very clear decision that is we can
:40:20. > :40:25.address this. Decisions which will be tough on those member states
:40:26. > :40:30.which are not implementing their own decisions and going their own sweet
:40:31. > :40:36.way, and also we have to look at what we can do with the programme.
:40:37. > :40:42.Can we extend it so it can be implemented? Also I think end up
:40:43. > :40:46.with some kind of stable, ongoing programme. That's the only way we'll
:40:47. > :40:52.be able to solve these problems. One-and-a-half minutes.
:40:53. > :41:00.TRANSLATION: Thank you very much president. Well, the 160,000
:41:01. > :41:04.relocations promised, two years ago, well, only 17,000 have actually been
:41:05. > :41:15.carried out. I think that's shameful. As is the absence of the
:41:16. > :41:20.Council on the debate. The Canadians have taken on 35,000 Syrians having
:41:21. > :41:24.the Atlantic Ocean in the way. It's not a question of resources it's a
:41:25. > :41:27.question of national selfishness and lack of political lchl they have not
:41:28. > :41:32.respecting their oin commitments they've take. Up themselves. Some
:41:33. > :41:36.are going to the Court of Justice, some are choosing the asylum seekers
:41:37. > :41:43.on the base of discriminatory criteria. This has nothing to do
:41:44. > :41:48.with any excuses involving security. So I think here people are expecting
:41:49. > :41:59.not to share responsibility in all of this. It's an infant tile
:42:00. > :42:07.attitude. And, if you don't stop repat rowation of some asylum
:42:08. > :42:12.seekers to Italy, in line with the Dublin rules, it's absolutely
:42:13. > :42:17.ridiculous. It's also ridiculous we should be relocating those people
:42:18. > :42:21.who have more than 65% chance of getting asylum. You are encouraging
:42:22. > :42:26.situation that is do not comply with Geneva Conventions. So I think what
:42:27. > :42:34.we is a new decision from the Council. We also need is a revision
:42:35. > :42:36.of Dublin so there is a centralised responsibility sharing mechanism.
:42:37. > :42:45.Thank you very much. Thank you. Now for one minute. Thank you,
:42:46. > :42:48.president, Commissioner. The relocation scheme has been a failure
:42:49. > :42:53.because member states are reluctant to implement for reasons that are
:42:54. > :42:56.very understandable. This kind of immigration is extremely costly to
:42:57. > :43:04.their societies, both economically and socially. We should abandon the
:43:05. > :43:08.concept of relocation and we should also abandon the idea that mass
:43:09. > :43:15.immigration to Europe is a solution to the problems of the Third World.
:43:16. > :43:21.What we need is a strict Australian-style push back policy at
:43:22. > :43:27.our external borders to stem the chaotic, illegal flow to Europe.
:43:28. > :43:31.Then we need to give more support to the countries of origin, to the
:43:32. > :43:36.countries of transit and to the people in refugee camps. Thank you
:43:37. > :43:41.very much. Thank you. Now for one minute.
:43:42. > :43:49.TRANSLATION: Thank you very much indeed. The council has excused
:43:50. > :44:06.itself because it doesn't want to listen. It knows that the EU has
:44:07. > :44:09.committed to accepting... People before 2017 but we are almost at the
:44:10. > :44:13.date and the take-up hasn't happened. Most countries are
:44:14. > :44:16.dragging their feet, but the hundreds of thousands of people are
:44:17. > :44:21.suffering on a daily basis or dying in their attempts to reach Europe.
:44:22. > :44:29.Hungary has gone even further, they have said they will not take any and
:44:30. > :44:36.they will be at risk if they accept a rotor system -- quota system. He
:44:37. > :44:39.said clearly that state sovereignty was not brought into question and it
:44:40. > :44:47.was irrevocable and that is what gave rise to war. The dogma of -- or
:44:48. > :44:51.sovereignty with no limits undermines the authority of
:44:52. > :44:58.institutions in Europe and the whole of the European Union so we really
:44:59. > :45:07.need to act. Thank you. And now for one minute. TRANSLATION: Thank you
:45:08. > :45:13.very much, Madam President. The quota system was not going to work.
:45:14. > :45:19.We also said it was unfair and it was inadequate. What we are seeing
:45:20. > :45:23.is not only that it is unfair and inadequate, but it is not being
:45:24. > :45:30.implemented by member states. Virtually none of the member states
:45:31. > :45:32.have complied with what they themselves said was inadequate
:45:33. > :45:37.themselves and that means we're going to have to take a million
:45:38. > :45:40.refugees around the world this year. Europe is not doing what it should
:45:41. > :45:46.be doing and that is the clearest sign of the political crisis within
:45:47. > :45:56.the European project. Spain is a great example. We've only taken up
:45:57. > :46:00.about 5% of the figure we were supposed to be taking and that is
:46:01. > :46:04.just not accept double and we have to do something about it. --
:46:05. > :46:08.acceptable. We have to be clear about this, in these European
:46:09. > :46:12.institutions we have been told austerity was compulsory and anybody
:46:13. > :46:21.that did not comply was punished for it. So why don't we say that
:46:22. > :46:26.basically human rights, also have to be complied with, that is absolutely
:46:27. > :46:31.essential and people who do not comply with those also have to be
:46:32. > :46:39.punished. Thank you. One minute, please. TRANSLATION: Thank you very
:46:40. > :46:42.much, President. During 2015 just a few countries in Europe took on a
:46:43. > :46:48.huge number refugees in a short period. The reception system
:46:49. > :46:54.collapsed and borders were closed and solidarity between member states
:46:55. > :47:01.was completely absent. In fact the whole EU construction started to
:47:02. > :47:09.shake, just two countries provided a good example, Spain and Sweden.
:47:10. > :47:19.Sweden took in 163,000 refugees in 2015. We don't need to take in the
:47:20. > :47:23.whole of our quota because we have already taken in so many but in
:47:24. > :47:30.Spain we have already heard what happened, they are not taking very
:47:31. > :47:36.many but the autonomous regions of Spain are very different. Some are
:47:37. > :47:39.very good and some have said they want to receive migrants but it is
:47:40. > :47:47.the central government that is simply opposing and the regions want
:47:48. > :47:52.to do their job but the government says no and I think we need is to
:47:53. > :48:00.make sure the Spanish government takes its responsibility. One
:48:01. > :48:04.minute, please. TRANSLATION: Well, relocation, shared responsibility
:48:05. > :48:07.and solidarity, it all sounds very nice, but like pretty much
:48:08. > :48:10.everything in this building, it is all constructed up on a basis of
:48:11. > :48:14.dreams and hopes that will never come true. Whatever kind of
:48:15. > :48:20.relocation system we find for the future, you won't turn all of
:48:21. > :48:24.Europe's countries into multicultural societies and that
:48:25. > :48:27.will file. Sweden has had huge amounts of migration and we are
:48:28. > :48:34.learning the lesson slowly but surely. Every relocation process is
:48:35. > :48:38.going to take years and people are going to stay afterwards and they
:48:39. > :48:44.are going to go underground at the end of a long process. If they get
:48:45. > :48:48.no. Returns are going to be appealed and protested against and the tens
:48:49. > :48:53.of thousands of people who behave illegally by coming to our countries
:48:54. > :48:59.by kindest and roots and then stay in our country illegally are called
:49:00. > :49:01.undocumented migrants by you but some of them will carry out terror
:49:02. > :49:07.attacks like the one that took place in April in Sweden. Some of them
:49:08. > :49:11.steal and some of them are going to work in the black market, what have
:49:12. > :49:14.they got to lose? They already live in contradiction with the law, and
:49:15. > :49:18.in ten years' time when you stop opposing things like amnesties,
:49:19. > :49:28.people are going to start thinking about the sense behind this. One
:49:29. > :49:34.minute, please. TRANSLATION: In European language it is impossible
:49:35. > :49:43.to call a spade a spade, union calls for relocation but in fact what it
:49:44. > :49:47.has sided is to repopulate 650,000 by the end of this exercise
:49:48. > :49:52.according to the Commissioner -- what it has decided. There are two
:49:53. > :49:58.objectives, low-cost Labour so companies can make more profit, and
:49:59. > :50:07.to break international identities and to transform citizens into
:50:08. > :50:14.docile consumers. The Claude bill bill -- Jean-Claude Juncker plan is
:50:15. > :50:16.also part of this, this is only the beginning and mega- states have
:50:17. > :50:21.understood this and that is why they are resisting, like Hungary and
:50:22. > :50:27.Poland -- member states. I encourage them to continue this resistance
:50:28. > :50:35.because every country has the right to resist being flooded by
:50:36. > :50:42.immigrants. One and a half minutes. TRANSLATION: We talk a lot about
:50:43. > :50:47.solidarity in Europe but we don't follow through. Over two years more
:50:48. > :50:50.than 1.5 billion people have arrived at our borders and the member states
:50:51. > :50:59.have agreed to relocate less than 100,000 people -- 1.5 million. That
:51:00. > :51:03.is a ridiculously small number. Only 16% of the commitment have actually
:51:04. > :51:08.been carried out, two years on, with unaccompanied minors being affected
:51:09. > :51:15.by this. There are countries that want to not be involved in this
:51:16. > :51:19.effort at all. I could mention my own country, Portugal, expressed a
:51:20. > :51:28.willingness to receive more than 5800 people more than was originally
:51:29. > :51:31.agreed but the Prime Minister, said they were willing to receive a total
:51:32. > :51:38.of 10,000, that sounded very impressive and generous. But
:51:39. > :51:43.Portugal so far has only received 1228 people. About the tenth of the
:51:44. > :51:48.objective we set ourselves, who is failing here? The commission, the
:51:49. > :51:56.Portuguese government, or unknown third parties? This Parliament has
:51:57. > :51:59.done everything it can and we have rapidly approved the emergency
:52:00. > :52:05.mechanisms and the budgetary increases. And today we have a
:52:06. > :52:11.positive approach recording this debate and making relocation happen,
:52:12. > :52:14.so let's diagnose the problem and take all of the necessary measures,
:52:15. > :52:24.every single measure without any exception. Thank you. There is a
:52:25. > :52:33.blue card. You will accept 30 seconds. TRANSLATION: Colleagues, I
:52:34. > :52:38.have listened very very carefully to what you have had to say and I
:52:39. > :52:43.understood that you were saying that the re-localisation and transfer
:52:44. > :52:47.programme is perfect but I'm not convinced of that. What do you think
:52:48. > :52:51.about guaranteeing the success of this? Shouldn't the commission
:52:52. > :52:55.basically communicate better with member states so that citizens
:52:56. > :53:01.become more tolerant and they accept this mechanism? We can't simply say
:53:02. > :53:08.that we have to protect the Schengen zone, what about the others who
:53:09. > :53:15.don't belong to it? What do they do? TRANSLATION: I do agree with you,
:53:16. > :53:19.that we need better and more communication but that is not where
:53:20. > :53:22.the problem lies. The problem lies in political will, there are member
:53:23. > :53:26.states that don't want to cooperate and who refuse and there are member
:53:27. > :53:30.states that don't want to take their share and this doesn't work. We
:53:31. > :53:37.can't call the European solidarity and allow it to fail. I agree with
:53:38. > :53:43.those who say a lack of goodwill and maybe we need some kind of binding
:53:44. > :53:54.system and a relocation mechanism. One and a half minutes. TRANSLATION:
:53:55. > :53:57.Thank you, Madam President. Commissioner, the responsibilities
:53:58. > :54:00.of the member states and the commission in this situation have
:54:01. > :54:06.been mentioned very clearly by my colleagues. The proposal right now,
:54:07. > :54:12.we have about 2000 unaccompanied minors in Greece and some of them
:54:13. > :54:21.are in safe zones within camps and others completely separate. Now,
:54:22. > :54:27.they have been moved from Syria and Iraq, basically with the huge
:54:28. > :54:30.population we have in the EU, it is a disgrace that we can't find a safe
:54:31. > :54:38.place for these children. Who are fleeing from war. Member states are
:54:39. > :54:43.not actually stepping up to the mark and there are thousands of people
:54:44. > :54:47.with their papers ready but nothing is happening. We are talking about a
:54:48. > :54:57.handful of children who need stability and safety in their lives.
:54:58. > :55:04.There was a conference that was attended on migration and we have to
:55:05. > :55:07.make sure that member states make a statement at that conference that
:55:08. > :55:12.member states will make sure that we will find a safe place for these
:55:13. > :55:15.children. It will be a small step for relocation about a huge step for
:55:16. > :55:21.these children. I would like your support, Mr Commissioner, to put
:55:22. > :55:36.this message to the children first, now. Thank you. One minute.
:55:37. > :55:45.TRANSLATION: The whole system of relocation to member states is not
:55:46. > :55:51.working. But the 116,000 migrants, only 10% have been excepted and the
:55:52. > :56:01.Slovak Republic in Hungary have launched a complaint and the ECJ
:56:02. > :56:08.will decide. Refugee quotas have not been adopted with the approval of
:56:09. > :56:12.the member states, and the majority decided for the minority that this
:56:13. > :56:18.is a very sensitive topic and it has strengthened anti-European and
:56:19. > :56:22.extremist forces. If it becomes clear that these decisions can be
:56:23. > :56:26.taken without those concerned and being involved, that is going to
:56:27. > :56:31.destroy Europe. The small member states are going to be frustrated
:56:32. > :56:36.and we can't have Western East and the good and the bad. You cannot
:56:37. > :56:43.take into account democratically elected governments. Hotspots are a
:56:44. > :56:53.good solution and the new European Coast Guard is a good idea, as well.
:56:54. > :57:00.One minute, please. TRANSLATION: Commissioner, I'm very happy that we
:57:01. > :57:03.are discussing this topic here in Strasburg, but I feel it is a
:57:04. > :57:09.terrible shame that the council is not present. We have to look at the
:57:10. > :57:15.situation of people on the ground, 23,000 unaccompanied minors,
:57:16. > :57:19.colleagues, are in the camps in Italy and Greece, living in
:57:20. > :57:24.conditions that are not worthy of humans. I have visited camps, no
:57:25. > :57:28.water and no access to childcare and no schools, these children are
:57:29. > :57:35.victims, Commissioner, not criminals. It was said last year
:57:36. > :57:40.that 10,000 children have gone missing after crossing the borders
:57:41. > :57:44.into Europe, have they been killed for their organs or forced into
:57:45. > :57:49.prostitution? Have they been moved onto other countries? Colleagues, I
:57:50. > :58:02.would like to make a plea, member states need to comply with their
:58:03. > :58:09.demands. You have one and a half minutes. TRANSLATION: Hungary from
:58:10. > :58:13.the very beginning of this process has held the position that the
:58:14. > :58:23.relocation of migrants cannot be binding. The other member states
:58:24. > :58:33.decided upon the quotas but originally we were talking about
:58:34. > :58:35.160,000 refugees to be relocated but only 18,000 have actually been
:58:36. > :58:41.relocated and that proves that only a voluntary basis is possible. I
:58:42. > :58:49.think it is very dangerous to have an obligatory relocation programme,
:58:50. > :58:54.solidarity doesn't work just through imposing quotas, it can only be
:58:55. > :59:04.carried out by police cooperation and border protection is. Hungary
:59:05. > :59:10.has invested 9 million euros in border protection and anything else
:59:11. > :59:21.would be taken by migrants as an invitation. It only invites people
:59:22. > :59:27.smuggling and crime, so I think that we'd need to work outside our
:59:28. > :59:30.borders to try and separate the real refugees from the economic migrants
:59:31. > :59:35.otherwise the system will never be able to work properly.
:59:36. > :59:42.Thank you one-and-a-half minutes. TRANSLATION: It's a disgrace that
:59:43. > :59:47.the Council is not present today, but it's even worse that every time
:59:48. > :59:53.the Council has acted late, slowly or in the wrong way in this
:59:54. > :59:57.direction, you know, them coming back and taking decisions. We've
:59:58. > :00:03.said this in all the official languages of the union. So what they
:00:04. > :00:07.don't want to implement this. Decisions are taken, people don't
:00:08. > :00:11.comply with them. Thousands of people have died, how many? 180,000
:00:12. > :00:16.in reception camps. What's happening? We have this Dublin
:00:17. > :00:20.agreement that needs to be reformed. There's a lack of political will.
:00:21. > :00:28.That's what it's about. A lack of political will to comply with the EU
:00:29. > :00:33.legislation and also there are not enough humanitarian visas. There's
:00:34. > :00:36.also a lack of sanctions on those countries who don't comply. I'm
:00:37. > :00:43.sorry to have to say this, Spain could take up thousands and it so
:00:44. > :00:47.sadly is not actually complying with what it signed up to. So many lies
:00:48. > :00:51.from the Council there. There.'S Only one single response, it has to
:00:52. > :00:54.be a legal one from the Commission. Sanctions on those countries that
:00:55. > :01:03.don't comply. Not infringement procedures which go on for years. A
:01:04. > :01:08.moral basis, repression. No, we need economic sanctions on those
:01:09. > :01:12.countries that do not comply. No EU aid until they've actually
:01:13. > :01:15.implemented this. It's a binding legal decision which was
:01:16. > :01:28.established. It's in the Lisbon Treaty and the member states have to
:01:29. > :01:33.comply. Three blue card requests. I'm looking to get the third. It's
:01:34. > :01:38.difficult. I will not give three blue cards. I will decide on
:01:39. > :01:44.somebody who has not spoken in the debate.
:01:45. > :01:52.30 second for your question, thank you.
:01:53. > :01:56.TRANSLATION: Madam president, you were right to notice as many have
:01:57. > :02:04.before that the European countries are quite simply not approving some
:02:05. > :02:08.openingly some practically to the cohersion of relocation of
:02:09. > :02:15.immigrants throughout Europe. You said solidarity is a must. Do you
:02:16. > :02:22.really believe in order to replace the idea of the European Union it's
:02:23. > :02:27.worth to actually put into place a following crisis in Europe? Mr
:02:28. > :02:34.Lopez. I'm not sure if I asked if you would take the question. I ask
:02:35. > :02:41.in retro speck. Is it OK to take the question? It's entirely your choice.
:02:42. > :02:46.Thank you. TRANSLATION: Now, how many times
:02:47. > :02:53.have we had to explain in how many languages that those who ratified
:02:54. > :02:57.the Lisbon Treaty were entering into a legal commit am of solidarity and
:02:58. > :03:03.protection of our borders and guaranteeing free circulation within
:03:04. > :03:08.the EU. Solidarity is not just a pious wish. It's a a binding
:03:09. > :03:13.decision. When we have migrants who cross a bordered and come in and
:03:14. > :03:18.they are being held in these camps, the reception camps, we need a
:03:19. > :03:27.European response, led by the Commission and supported by all EU
:03:28. > :03:33.member states. For those who don't comply, that equal sanctions. One
:03:34. > :03:39.minute now. TRANSLATION: Today, once again, we
:03:40. > :03:44.are having debate about compulsory relocation of migrants in Europe. I
:03:45. > :03:52.think, for the first time, we should be honest and admit it's a fiasco.
:03:53. > :03:56.We haven't managed to relocate these refugees apart from a very small
:03:57. > :04:01.part of them, even though there was a Council decision taken on this.
:04:02. > :04:09.This is a failure for the European Union and in Italy you see that
:04:10. > :04:21.those who have arrived illegally simply travel on to western Europe.
:04:22. > :04:23.We don't want migrants coming to the richest countries and for Eastern
:04:24. > :04:28.European countries to say we don't want to take them. We have to find a
:04:29. > :04:34.proper model. For example an Australian push back model. If we
:04:35. > :04:39.see there a lack of will or realism it's impossible to accept millions
:04:40. > :04:42.of migrants into our territory. One inform minutes, please.
:04:43. > :04:48.TRANSLATION: Thank you madam president. May I start by responding
:04:49. > :04:53.to what the previous speaker said. Ladies and gentlemen, do you really
:04:54. > :04:58.think if you order somebody to do something that it works like that in
:04:59. > :05:05.life? I have four small children and I tell them - you have to be tidy,
:05:06. > :05:10.they never are tidy. When you use sanctions, cohersion the child
:05:11. > :05:18.always tries to push back and fight those sanctions. This is what this
:05:19. > :05:22.entire discussion about. Ordering somebody to do something against
:05:23. > :05:27.their will is nonsense. I said several times in this place
:05:28. > :05:37.Commissioner that the relocation mission is a huge utopian project.
:05:38. > :05:47.If it were to work, then only 30% of member states actually refused the
:05:48. > :05:52.relocation mechanism. Then you would have already relocated 120,000
:05:53. > :05:57.refugees, but that is not the case. That has not been done so far. We've
:05:58. > :06:05.been discussing this system for two years. I believe this system is a
:06:06. > :06:09.solution we focused on, but it's completely useless. This is not the
:06:10. > :06:16.only solution to the migration crisis. Let's face it, this system
:06:17. > :06:22.is never going to work. Solidarity, that has been coerced, is never
:06:23. > :06:27.going to work. Thank you. Thank you. One minute, please.
:06:28. > :06:36.TRANSLATION: Thank you, madam president. Let me just remind
:06:37. > :06:40.everybody that the temporary relocation was not supported by all
:06:41. > :06:45.member states. It was adopted to go around the unanimity principle of
:06:46. > :06:50.member states in the European Council. The governments of Slovakia
:06:51. > :06:58.and Hungary have filed a complat with the Court of Just of the
:06:59. > :07:03.European Union. Here at the European Parliament we won't even wait for
:07:04. > :07:08.the courts' verdict as if it's been taken. Perhaps we should show more
:07:09. > :07:11.respect toward the court. Relocation has been rejected by a vast majority
:07:12. > :07:17.of the societies of the countries that have supported it because it is
:07:18. > :07:23.based on cohersion both for the relocated people as well as those
:07:24. > :07:26.that are to accept them. They have their rights too which the union
:07:27. > :07:34.seems to be forgetting. Therefore the relocation mechanism does not
:07:35. > :07:39.work and it will not work. One-and-a-half minutes, please.
:07:40. > :07:41.TRANSLATION: President, on the subject of immigration the
:07:42. > :07:47.Parliament, the Council and the Commission and Europe as a whole
:07:48. > :07:54.face major challenge for their credibility. Waiting for the changes
:07:55. > :07:58.to the Dublin rules, then we are supposed to be applying a principle
:07:59. > :08:02.of solidarity to all member states, not leaving Italy and Greece alone
:08:03. > :08:07.into dealing with a flow of migration that was absolutely
:08:08. > :08:10.unprecedented in our continent. It's with great enthusiasm that we
:08:11. > :08:16.received the relocation programme. I must say to date it's simply
:08:17. > :08:19.embarrassing to comment on the data. 18,000 relocations actually carried
:08:20. > :08:25.out. 11% of the number originally planned for. The number set by the
:08:26. > :08:31.Commission, by the Council, by Parliament. It's been up to Italy to
:08:32. > :08:36.make an extra effort in terms of carrying out identification. Italy
:08:37. > :08:41.has done its job. Italy has been asked to create new hotspots. This
:08:42. > :08:46.has also been done. But if we're talking about just 5,000 relocations
:08:47. > :08:51.from Italy, that is simply embarrassing. This simply cannot be
:08:52. > :08:54.allowed. Member states have to implement the pledges they have
:08:55. > :09:00.taken otherwise I think there's no option other than to start
:09:01. > :09:05.infringement proceedings. We also need to consider flanking measures
:09:06. > :09:08.to try and manage to achieve the planned number of relocations before
:09:09. > :09:14.the end of September 2017. Thank you. One minute.
:09:15. > :09:21.TRANSLATION: Thank you, madam president. The migration crisis
:09:22. > :09:30.shows in a tragic way that some things are no longer working
:09:31. > :09:36.properly in the EU. We have had first-hand experience of this now.
:09:37. > :09:43.Unfortunately, it's at the expense of the poorest people. The EU
:09:44. > :09:48.started as a project of citizens and what have the big groups in this
:09:49. > :09:53.parliament done with it? They've made it a project for the elite.
:09:54. > :09:59.They come up with projects which don't work in practice because they
:10:00. > :10:04.aren't accepted by the citizens nor by some of the member states. So we
:10:05. > :10:09.have to stop with coming up with theories that don't work in
:10:10. > :10:14.practice. We have to base ourselves on a voluntary system and
:10:15. > :10:19.establishing co-operation, but at that point agreements that have been
:10:20. > :10:24.concluded need to be respected. I think it's populous for some people
:10:25. > :10:30.here to say there should be penalties if the agreements are not
:10:31. > :10:34.respected. When it comes to the crisis everyone says - no, we don't
:10:35. > :10:39.need penalties. We really have to stick to what we've agreed. That
:10:40. > :10:42.completes our speakers list. I'm faced with a dilemma. We have 16
:10:43. > :10:50.requests for catch the eye. I will take eight. I give the floor for one
:10:51. > :11:00.minute. I will be strict. Thank you. TRANSLATION: Thank you very much
:11:01. > :11:05.madam president. The migration crisis in 2015-2016 brought more
:11:06. > :11:12.than a million migrants to Europe. Our aim has been 160,000
:11:13. > :11:16.relocations. However, very few of these numbers have already been
:11:17. > :11:25.relocated. There are problems on both sides. Member states that
:11:26. > :11:31.refuse to accept refugees on the one hand and the pressure on the more
:11:32. > :11:34.willing member states. I come from a member state where people are
:11:35. > :11:41.against refugees, generally speaking. However, the government
:11:42. > :11:48.managed to receive more than the quota allocated by the EU so far. In
:11:49. > :11:53.Slovenia we received 70,000 refugees during the Bosnia crisis. So it's
:11:54. > :11:54.just the political will to implement the relocation plan. Thank you.
:11:55. > :12:09.Thank you. One minute. TRANSLATION: Thank you very much
:12:10. > :12:14.indeed, madam president, Commissioner. The migration crisis
:12:15. > :12:19.has turned out to be a humanitarian crisis because of its scale. We've
:12:20. > :12:24.seen a deficit of solidarity. That's not respecting the principle of
:12:25. > :12:27.solidarity which is bringing into question the EU's values. It's also
:12:28. > :12:32.because of the failure of the relocation programme. Unless all EU
:12:33. > :12:35.member states are on board, we cannot by September achieve the
:12:36. > :12:40.objectives set for the programme. It's therefore crucial, not only
:12:41. > :12:44.that we extend the relocation programme, but that we also make it
:12:45. > :12:49.binding in a necessary way. I really hope that we do not have to apply
:12:50. > :12:54.sanction mechanisms because that would be terribly sad for all of us
:12:55. > :13:00.to see this ongoing lack of solidarity being shown by European
:13:01. > :13:05.countries. We have however to come up with a European response to this
:13:06. > :13:11.migratary crisis. The financial aid extended to Italy recently is
:13:12. > :13:21.recognition of the work put in by my country we need a legislative base
:13:22. > :13:26.as well supporting asylum. Thank you.
:13:27. > :13:39.TRANSLATION: Thank you. Last week during a visit to the president of
:13:40. > :13:53.the European Parliament there was a recall of the position of the
:13:54. > :13:57.government being respected and this will allow us to take up in the
:13:58. > :14:02.Basque country people who are suffering and need support. Spain is
:14:03. > :14:06.not taking as many people as it should, and there are many people
:14:07. > :14:13.who are helping in regions, and my question for the Commissioner is,
:14:14. > :14:17.how these attitudes are taken on board when programmes are drawn up
:14:18. > :14:22.and established. The attitude of many of our citizens and the
:14:23. > :14:25.situation is closest of them are very far removed from the solidarity
:14:26. > :14:31.that is being called for to face this challenge. Well, those states
:14:32. > :14:44.that don't comply with the provisions should have sanctions
:14:45. > :14:47.applied. TRANSLATION: It's very sad to see that all of us here are
:14:48. > :14:51.talking about numbers which is ridiculous in any case given the
:14:52. > :14:57.scale of what we are talking about. We should be talking about people,
:14:58. > :15:02.who are we to deny a future to those people that we met in the refugee
:15:03. > :15:10.camp? On Friday. People knew that these numbers were never going to be
:15:11. > :15:13.met. It is a system which is skewed and all those people who have
:15:14. > :15:18.arrived after the 20th of March have been condemned to live in limbo. At
:15:19. > :15:23.least those who manage to survive the crossing because many more
:15:24. > :15:27.people than we know are dying. It's our past and who knows it might in
:15:28. > :15:33.the future at some time be our future again. Do we really have to
:15:34. > :15:36.suffer ourselves in order to understand the suffering of these
:15:37. > :15:40.people? These are not numbers, these are people. Thank you. One minute.
:15:41. > :15:58.TRANSLATION: Well, I think it's an absolute disgrace that the council
:15:59. > :16:04.is not here today, but not meeting their commitments, they are not
:16:05. > :16:09.here. There should have been 160,000 people relocated, but only 5000 from
:16:10. > :16:17.Italy and 12,000 from Greece. Diggers have increased, as well. 18%
:16:18. > :16:23.up arrivals in Italy over 2015 -- figures have increased. We have got
:16:24. > :16:27.to stand with what happens with our refugees and we need to respect the
:16:28. > :16:34.quotas and I would like to call on the European Commission. Countries
:16:35. > :16:39.are not complying. Spain, 5%. You have two options, you accept the
:16:40. > :16:44.failure and I know that many people don't understand the situation. Or
:16:45. > :16:47.you showed guts and make sure that as we say in the resolution we have
:16:48. > :17:03.sanctions on those people that don't comply. Thank you. TRANSLATION:
:17:04. > :17:09.The competent commission is here for this and he is seeing that this
:17:10. > :17:14.programme which is being put forward has been a failure. We have seen a
:17:15. > :17:20.very low figure of the 160,000 who have been relocated. It's running
:17:21. > :17:25.out in September as well. But are people going to show that this has
:17:26. > :17:30.been a success? With the numbers that have been relocated over two
:17:31. > :17:37.years. I don't think the measures have been actually adequate. We have
:17:38. > :17:40.seen also an increase of 36% of illegal migration in Italy and the
:17:41. > :17:45.same figures in Greece, as well. same figures in Greece, as well.
:17:46. > :17:54.Those people are accusing Europe becoming Fortress Europe, and and my
:17:55. > :18:05.responses, we need to do something to address Erdogan's Turkey, as well
:18:06. > :18:14.-- and my response is. One minute. TRANSLATION: Thank you very much.
:18:15. > :18:18.The Commissioner has stated that relocations don't work.
:18:19. > :18:23.Unfortunately it has not been said why. May 20 17th the commission
:18:24. > :18:30.published a table which shows a different approach. Great Britain
:18:31. > :18:37.has taken the radical solution and is leaving the EU and it is no
:18:38. > :18:43.secret that it is illegal in which was one of the main items for
:18:44. > :18:51.Brexit. -- illegal immigration. Solidarity is one of the main
:18:52. > :18:55.principles on which the EU rests and refugees must be helped, and we have
:18:56. > :19:00.the capacity to do it. The Czech Republic, even though it was
:19:01. > :19:05.outvoted, has decided it will accept its quota of 3000 refugees but this
:19:06. > :19:08.quota could not be met. We have information from the Ministry of the
:19:09. > :19:13.Interior that this is not only due to the lack of willingness of the
:19:14. > :19:23.Czech Republic but also the lack of preparedness of the refugees to do
:19:24. > :19:31.this. TRANSLATION: Two years have gone by since the proposal to set up
:19:32. > :19:34.this relocation programme. We welcome dip then as a sign of
:19:35. > :19:39.solidarity and we hope that finally the member states had understood
:19:40. > :19:44.that managing the refugee flows did not only applied to the countries on
:19:45. > :19:48.the periphery -- we welcome it. And despite all the good promises, the
:19:49. > :19:55.outcome has not met expectations, and out of the thousands of migrants
:19:56. > :19:59.who were planned for this programme, very few have been relocated and
:20:00. > :20:06.many thousands are still stuck in Greece. Certain numbers in mainland
:20:07. > :20:08.Greece and the Aegean islands, so what will happen with those
:20:09. > :20:16.countries who refuse to participate in this programme? Are they going to
:20:17. > :20:20.be sanctioned? Also, what plans do you have after the expiry of this?
:20:21. > :20:25.What will happen to the countries on the borders of Europe? Well, this
:20:26. > :20:31.has been published and people are saying there is an increase in
:20:32. > :20:37.sexual exploitation of migrants, as well, so that's a further reason and
:20:38. > :20:44.I would agree that they should be an approach taken to the young migrants
:20:45. > :20:49.in particular. It is helpful to stick to our time. To those that did
:20:50. > :20:53.not get the opportunity, apologies, there was a long list, but you might
:20:54. > :21:05.submit your statements for the minutes. I now give the floor to the
:21:06. > :21:08.Commissioner. Let me start by expressing my thanks for this very
:21:09. > :21:16.interesting debate and I would like to repeat that there is no
:21:17. > :21:29.solidarity a la cart, we have said many times. This is one of the tools
:21:30. > :21:34.and ways which the in which we can show solidarity. TRANSLATION: You
:21:35. > :21:41.rightly stressed the moral aspect of the relocation issue and I share
:21:42. > :21:49.many of your views and I count on your continued support as I said in
:21:50. > :21:55.my introductory remarks. We shouldn't forget that we are talking
:21:56. > :22:02.about people. Who are in need of protection. Our duty moral and
:22:03. > :22:09.political is to make sure that they get this protection as soon as
:22:10. > :22:15.possible and in a manageable way for the European Union. This is the
:22:16. > :22:25.essence of emergency relocation schemes. This is why our focus right
:22:26. > :22:34.now is to make sure that everyone eligible is relocated to all member
:22:35. > :22:39.states before September. Member states that have not relocated
:22:40. > :22:46.anyone or have not relocated for more than a year should make
:22:47. > :22:54.progress immediately. If no action is taken within a month, we will
:22:55. > :22:59.specify our position or make the use of our powers under the treaties and
:23:00. > :23:06.in bitter killer on the opening of infringement procedures. -- in
:23:07. > :23:10.particular. I'm very clear on that. Let me say that I understand your
:23:11. > :23:22.concerns and remarks on the deadline and the future but this relocation
:23:23. > :23:25.scheme has not been set up as an intermediary in view of the reform
:23:26. > :23:33.of Dublin. They are an emergency measure. Of course, as we very
:23:34. > :23:40.clearly said member states legal obligations do not stop after
:23:41. > :23:50.September 2017. And if you have an outstanding bill you have to pay it.
:23:51. > :23:54.the opportunities to revise the the opportunities to revise the
:23:55. > :23:59.scope of the location decisions. But as I said, at the moment, our
:24:00. > :24:05.priority is to relocate all migrants in need of protection that are
:24:06. > :24:13.currently eligible. We need to focus on this objective. If all member
:24:14. > :24:27.states actively contribute it is perfectly possible and I count on
:24:28. > :24:33.you to help us make this happen. TRANSLATION: Well, Greek members of
:24:34. > :24:40.the European Parliament, you give me opportunity to speak a few words in
:24:41. > :24:44.my own language. This is an issue of huge importance to Greece because as
:24:45. > :24:49.with Italy it is on the front line, it is these countries which are
:24:50. > :24:54.coming under the greatest pressure. The situation in Greece, I would
:24:55. > :24:59.like to stress, that if the member states stepped up to the mark and
:25:00. > :25:11.met their commitments, it is totally possible that by September all of
:25:12. > :25:16.the applicants who are coming into Greece could be relocated, something
:25:17. > :25:25.over 12,000, and Greece has completed all of the procedures and
:25:26. > :25:34.if everyone steps up to the mark we can achieve our objectives. Some
:25:35. > :25:39.member states are not copper -- cooperating as has been said. Allow
:25:40. > :25:48.me to say that patience is running out. Although I would also like to
:25:49. > :25:52.stress that I do believe in dialogue and achieving agreements, that is
:25:53. > :25:57.the plan we have to continue to follow and we have been doing that,
:25:58. > :26:06.but we are in quite an extreme situation right now. The proof that
:26:07. > :26:11.this programme is providing results is that there has been an increase,
:26:12. > :26:15.rapid increase over the last few months, but as I was saying at the
:26:16. > :26:22.beginning, the next step, if there is no compliance, will be fought the
:26:23. > :26:26.commission and have no fears about this, the commission will
:26:27. > :26:31.politically and economic review support its policy -- economically
:26:32. > :26:40.support this policy. Certain colleagues have been made about the
:26:41. > :26:44.agreement between the EU and Turkey -- certain comments. Well, it's
:26:45. > :26:47.working, under pressure and in difficult circumstances, and I think
:26:48. > :26:54.we've had some major results achieved. Some colleagues mention
:26:55. > :27:02.figures, well, about a year and two months ago... There were about
:27:03. > :27:11.12,000 crossings a day. But that has dropped now to about 50-60 a day and
:27:12. > :27:18.we have two keep this agreement alive. Returns to Turkey are
:27:19. > :27:25.continuing. I was in Athens yesterday and I met the competent
:27:26. > :27:31.ministers in the Greek government and I was very satisfied to hear
:27:32. > :27:37.that these procedures have been speeded up, as well. As was
:27:38. > :27:45.stressed, though, yes indeed it is unaccompanied minors who must be our
:27:46. > :27:51.priority. That message has to get across to all member states because
:27:52. > :27:56.from Italy in particular and I know some of your attacking colleagues
:27:57. > :28:02.mentioned this, there is not enough relocation of mine is -- some of
:28:03. > :28:05.your Italian colleagues mentioned this. Nevertheless, progress has
:28:06. > :28:12.been made and I believe this debate today he has shown that the European
:28:13. > :28:19.Parliament supports the relocation and supports the commission's
:28:20. > :28:24.the Greek members of the Parliament the Greek members of the Parliament
:28:25. > :28:30.for their work and I would also like to thank the European Parliament for
:28:31. > :28:36.its support. From the word go the necessary support was there and you
:28:37. > :28:43.have provided huge input into our policy, also in respect of the
:28:44. > :28:44.political and moral content of the decisions which have been adopted,
:28:45. > :29:00.as well. Thank you. TRANSLATION: I have received three
:29:01. > :29:12.resolutions for a motion on the basis of the statement, and the
:29:13. > :29:26.first was there and the second one was signed and the third one was
:29:27. > :29:29.signed... The vote will be on Thursday.