Trade with Greece
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already relocated to other countries in the EU
almost 13,000 people in urgent need of interna-
tional protection. But we can and we must do
more.
“In the short term, the pace of relocations from
Italy and Greece has to be increased. In the long
run, we must find an agreement on a truly
European common asylum system, capable of
operating effectively both during periods of
reduced and increased migration pressures.
Today, member states like Italy and Greece are
under pressure, but in the future, other countries
might be affected too. This is why we must have
a truly European migration and asylum system,
which is fair and balanced.
“In parallel, we are reinforcing the management of
our external borders. This is the only way to get
back to a Schengen Area without internal bor-
ders. We have recently established the European
Border and Coast Guard – this is a milestone in
the history of European border management. The
external border of one member state is the exter-
nal border of all member states. A rapid reaction
pool of 1500 border guards can now be deployed
in five days to support national coast guards in
any member state. Thanks to them, fingerprinting
of migrants arriving to Greece now stands at
almost 100%.”
Checks
In regard to the necessary border check proce-
dures, Mr. Avramopoulos stresses that “we have
proposed an EU Entry-Exit System to speed-up
and reinforce border check procedures for non-
EU nationals, as well as a European Travel
Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) to
check for potential security threats for visa-free
third-country nationals coming to the EU.
“All these elements are contributing to the better
protection and strengthening of our external bor-
ders, which will allow us to return to a normal
functioning of the Schengen area soon.
“In order to further reduce irregular migration, we
have also enhanced legal channels for people to
come to Europe in an orderly and safe way. In just
one year, we have already resettled almost
14,000 people in need of protection from coun-
tries like Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan, and by this
summer we should hopefully reach the 22,000
mark that member states committed to.
“We have proposed to have an EU Resettlement
Framework to channel and harmonise resettle-
ment to the EU for the future.
“Moreover, Europe needs to attract skilled people
from abroad, in order to be able to support its own
economic growth. This is why we have proposed
a better, more attractive and more European Blue
Card system, to facilitate the process for highly-
skilled third country nationals to come and work in
the EU.
“Once people have a right to stay in Europe, we
should also offer them that right in every way pos-
sible, so they can participate from the very begin-
ning. Investment in integration has for too long
been neglected and underestimated, and many
countries are paying the price for that today.
European societies are becoming increasingly
diverse. We should embrace that diversity, not
fight it.
“The European door remains open for those who
need our protection and for those who have a
right to stay. We encourage member states to
make the best use of the EU return legislation, to
fully use it to ensure an efficient return policy that
