EU countries must show that they are prepared to defend themselves against the instrumentalization of migrants, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior of the Czech Republic, Vít Rakušan, said on Saturday.
Rakušan, whose country is holding the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU, attended in the region of Akamas, in Paphos, the MED5 Summit, comprising Ministers from Mediterranean member states who discussed migration and asylum over Friday and Saturday.
Following the Summit, Rakušan made a statement on Saturday, highlighting the next steps ahead of a Home Affairs Council, next week in Luxembourg, as well as his country’s EU chairmanship priorities. We want to show at the end of our presidency some concrete results, the First Deputy Prime Minister noted.
He said that MED5 Summit deliberations were a “good basis” for the discussion that will follow in the Council, next week.
“The EU as a whole is again under high migration pressure” he said, while acknowledging that Greece, Cyprus, Spain, Italy and Malta are under pressure “but not only these countries.” We can feel the pressure in all corners of Europe, he added.
We have to discuss about true European solidarity, this is why the Czech Republic holding the rotating EU Presidency prepared a proposal to be discussed in next week’s meeting in Luxembourg, Rakušan said.
He noted that Prague tries to accommodate member states’ opinions into its proposal and reach a compromise which makes reference not only to “flexible solidarity” but also to “flexible responsibility”, as he put it.
Moreover, he said that the Czech EU Presidency will also convene the Third Schengen Council, with the main topic being the situation on the external borders of the EU. We need to intensify our activities in the external dimension and this is the role of the country holding the EU Presidency, Rakušan added.
He said that there are discussions with Turkey and the countries in the Western Balkans and “one of the important topics which is also crucial for Cyprus is the topic of instrumentalization of migration.”
We have to show, as EU, that we are prepared to defend against this type of danger, Rakušan underlined, pointing to the adoption of a Regulation on the subject, which the Czech Presidency promoted.
Another aspect of Czech EU Presidency’s efforts concerns legal migration and progress on the European Asylum Dactyloscopy Database or EURODAC, concerning the identification of asylum applicants, he said.
I listened carefully to all problems of MED5 countries and this week we will work together on a compromise that will be positive for MED5, as well as for all member states, Rakušan concluded.
Source: Cyprus News Agency