Home affairs minister says managing migration is ‘credibility test’ for EU

Ministers discuss the way forward on the reform of the Common European Asylum System at the first informal council meeting of the Slovak presidency

Home affairs minister Carmelo Abela has said that managing migration has become a credibility test for the European Union, making failure an unthinkable option.

Speaking at the first informal council of the Slovak presidency of the council of the EU, for the justice and home affairs council of ministers earlier today, Abela said that the must be united in order to convince the international community.

“The EU should send a clear message in favour of a global compact on responsibility sharing for refugees and for safe, regular and orderly migration while preventing illegal flows,” he said.

During this meeting, ministers focused their talks on migration and agreed that migration as a global phenomenon is also a matter of global responsibility and that the UN High Level meeting taking place in September will be a good opportunity to affirm the commitment of the international community to a strong and coherent response to this growing phenomenon. 

Ministers also discussed the way forward on the reform of the Common European Asylum System, emphasizing the need for a system that is resilient and can withstand future challenges. Many highlighted the need for solidarity and fair sharing of responsibility for asylum seekers in the context of the Dublin system. 

They also addressed external border management, adding that the implementation of the European Border and Coastguard Agency will be given particular importance over the coming months with a view to it becoming operational by autumn of this year. 

“It is important for the agency to make sure that the criteria work to prevent unnecessary administrative burden on the Member states,” Abela said.

“As the next presidency and considering the timelines we have heard so far, Malta will be ready to take the eventual proposal forward with all due importance,” he said.

Abela added that the new agency, which is an example of concrete EU action to manage migration, will have a stronger role in the return of illegal migrants and will also have the necessary resources to draw upon, should a member state request its assistance.

Informal ministerial Council meetings take place in the EU member states holding the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU; currently Slovakia.

During its upcoming presidency in the first semester of 2017, these meetings will take place in Malta.