MEETING OF TUESDAY, MARCH 13, 2001

Considerations / Mutual Recognition of Removal Decisions

Karamanou (PSE). – Mr. President, unfortunately, in the absence of a cohesive and comprehensive policy for asylum and migration, we are faced with a myriad of initiatives from member states that attempt, in a completely fragmented manner, to intervene in specific issues, often ignoring or bypassing the institutional and legal framework of the European Union. This is evident in the initiatives of France, Finland, and Portugal, which the European Parliament rightly rejects, as our rapporteurs suggest, and I commend them for their work.

It needs to be emphasized once again in this chamber that the Council can only exercise executive powers in special cases and after thorough study, and cannot delegate these powers to the Commission. Today, the Council presents visa issuance and border crossing as a special case, reserving for itself executive powers that belong to the Commission. At the same time, the European Parliament and the prescribed consultation process are being ignored, as the Council amends decisions without the involvement of the European Parliament.

With this tactic, the Council, instead of accelerating the processes for shaping a common European migration policy, is actually stalling, failing to make decisions, and the Tampere process is stagnating. As a result, a climate that fosters racism and xenophobia persists in Europe, leading to incidents like those in Dover. There is no doubt that, to create a common European area of security and justice, we must move beyond the unilateral initiatives taken by member states and proceed with unified regulations. Those crossing the Union’s borders should be subject to the same rules and obligations to ensure smooth entry and stay. It cannot be left to the discretion of each state and its respective legal framework to examine visa applications. Of course, it is unnecessary to reiterate that border fortification and police measures will not reduce the pressures and illegal crossings as long as the gap in prosperity between our countries and our neighbors remains.

The best course of action for the Council is to authorize the Commission, based on the Tampere process, to take the necessary initiatives. Through consensus-building procedures, we should aim to establish a common migration policy as soon as possible that fairly addresses all outstanding issues and is grounded in our shared European humanitarian values and democratic traditions.