COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL
COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS
A dialogue for migration, mobility and
security with the Southern Mediterranean countries
The historic events that have occurred in
the Southern Mediterranean since the end of 2010 have provided unique
opportunities for the people of those countries to express more freely their
wish for true democracy, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms,
more impartial and better functioning state institutions and a fairer use of
public resources. They have also inspired citizens elsewhere in the Arab world
and around the globe, and strengthened their resolve to succeed in their
democratic aspirations.
The EU stands ready to continue supporting
all its Southern neighbours who are willing to commit to democracy, human
rights, good governance and rule of law, and to enter into Partnerships with
those countries to achieve concrete progress for the people.
Those historic events have also induced significant
movements of people.
The eruption of the conflict in Libya as of
mid-February, provoked the displacement of around 800,000 persons of many
different nationalities towards the neighbouring countries, in particular
Tunisia and Egypt. A number of them have fled towards Italy and Malta across
the Mediterranean sea on vessels of fortune, sometimes losing their lives at
sea as a result. As of mid-January some 35,000 migrants from Tunisia and Libya
have arrived at the shores of the Italian island of Lampedusa and Malta.
Some of
the major factors behind the migratory pressures in the Southern Mediterranean,
such as the high levels of unemployment among a very young population, are not
new. They represent a long-term structural challenge for both the EU and the
region
The EU needs to give clear support to the people in the Southern Mediterranean, many of whom may be tempted – in the absence of a perspective for better life at home – to seek opportunities outside their countries of origin. Active management of migration flows, the strengthening of legal migration opportunities together with measures to address irregular migration have a positive impact on both the EU and its partner countries.
As part of the EU’s wider engagement and offer of a “Partnership for Democracy and Shared Prosperity” and in the context of an enhanced European Neighbourhood Policy vis-à-vis the EU’s southern neighbours and their new democratic aspirations, this Communication proposes to address the current challenges in the area of migration and mobility through the establishment of a dialogue for migration, mobility and security between the EU and the Southern Mediterranean countries, in line with the aims of the EU’s Global Approach to Migration.
This Communication builds upon the proposals for a partnership between the EU and the Southern Mediterranean countries in the area of migration, mobility and security made by the Commission in its Communication on migration adopted on 4 May 2011. It is adopted in parallel with the Communication on the review of the EU Neighbourhood Policy.
The European Union has responded to these
challenges in a rapid and effective manner, taking in particular the following
concrete actions:
· To manage the humanitarian emergency
generated by the sudden inflows of migrants and refugees in the countries
neighbouring Libya, the Commission has allocated 40 M EUR, out of a
total EU contribution – Commission and Member States combined – of
102 € M EUR to evacuate and repatriate third-country nationals and to assist
those in need in Libya and neighbouring countries. This has also been made
possible thanks to the laudable work carried out by the IOM, UNHCR, ICRC and other
international organisations. The intervention of the EU has been of key
importance in reducing the pressure exerted on the reception capacities of
Tunisia and Egypt by the huge inflows of displaced persons they have received.
·
In order to promptly respond to
the irregular and mixed migration flows across
the central Mediterranean Sea, FRONTEX, with the assistance of several Member
States, launched the Joint Operation EPN Hermes Extension 2011, aimed at
assisting Italy in controlling vessels carrying migrants and
refugees. EUROPOL also deployed a team of experts to Italy, with the aim of
helping its law enforcement authorities to identify possible criminals among
the persons intercepted.
·
To ensure that,
in the short term, those Member States most exposed to the growing flows of
irregular migrants and refugees can cope with the financial consequences of
the flows, the Commission has allocated an
additional 25 M EUR for 2011 under the External Borders Fund and the European
Refugee Fund, which are available on the basis of concrete requests by the
Member States.
·
In order to respond to the new
call for and struggle towards democracy of the population of several Southern
Mediterranean countries, the European Commission and the High
Representative jointly presented on 8 March 2011 a Communication on "A
partnership for democracy and shared prosperity for democracy and shared
prosperity with the Southern Mediterranean".
This Communication, whose key recommendations were endorsed by the European
Council in its meetings of 11 and 25 March 2011, proposes to offer to the Southern
Mediterranean countries the perspective of developing with them a dialogue on migration, mobility and security,
aimed at enhancing and facilitating the regular channels for migration and
mobility of the citizens between these countries and the EU.
The EU response to the emergency situation
has been swift, comprehensive and effective. On the other hand
it has also become clear that the crisis situation will not be resolved
quickly, and that it is necessary to create the conditions for implementing a more
structured, sustainable plan which could cover the
various dimensions of the phenomenon, based on solidarity between Member States
and partnership with relevant third countries, in
full respect of the EU's international obligations. Irregular migration
flows originating from Tunisia might be followed by similar phenomena in other
South Mediterranean countries, and especially in those going through political
instability and social crisis. Organised crime-related smuggling networks may
strentghen their activities and spread their geographical scope to other
African countries than Tunisia.
As the conflict in Libya continues, many
more persons are expected to flee in the future, and, increasingly, nationals
of various other third countries, notably Sub-Saharan African countries who
used to live in Libya as migrants or refugees. It is also possible that Libya
could again become a key transit country for the smuggling of irregular
migrants directed from Africa to Europe.
While in the initial phase of the crisis a
large majority of the persons fleeing the conflict in Libya were repatriated to
their countries of origin in a timely manner, in the course of the crisis
persons not having a country to which they may be safely repatriated have
increasingly been travelling from Libya to the neighbouring countries. The
latter are either Libyans or third country nationals that used to reside in
Libya and that had left their origin country in search of international
protection. These persons, unless resettled, may be destined to remain for an
extended period in the hosting countries. This situation is placing the already
diminished reception capacities of countries like Tunisia and Egypt under
additional strain, and contributing to an increase in migratory and refugee
flows towards the EU Member States.
In view of this situation, and on the basis of a
joint initiative of the European Commission and the High Representative, the
European Council has requested the Council, on the basis of the impetus to be
provided by the Commission, to take further immediate action and to present in advance to the June European Council long-term
measures for the development
of capacities to manage migration and refugee flows
in the Mediterranean.
As an immediate response to this request,
the Commission has presented to the Justice and Home Affairs
Council on 11-12 April a first plan of
measures to address the migration and refugee flows
originating from the South Mediterranean in the short and medium term, with a view (1) to ensuring that the EU and the
countries neighbouring Libya acquire the capacity to deal with the possibly
continued and increased inflows of refugees from that country, and (2) to
assist those EU Member States and North African countries which are in the
front line, and taking primary responsibility for dealing with the migration
and refugee flows.
The plan includes the
following actions:
(1)
continuing to
provide funds for the humanitarian assistance of those in need in Libya and its
neighboring countries and for repatriation of the persons
fleeing from the conflict in Libya, according to the identified needs;
(2)
strengthening with additional
technical resources made available by Member States
for the Joint Operation EPN HERMES Extension coordinated by FRONTEX, while
continuing both the HERMES and the POSEIDON joint operation as long as
necessary, on the basis of an increase of the budget available to FRONTEX for
the Surveillance Patrolling network;
(3)
rapidly strengthening the competences of FRONTEX and putting more effective tools at its disposal. The amended
Regulation establishing the FRONTEX agency should be adopted by the Council and
the European Parliament as a matter of urgency;
(4)
calling on
FRONTEX to speed up the negotiations to conclude working arrangements with the competent authorities of Egypt, Morocco and Turkey, for
which it already has a mandate, and for it to be given a mandate as a matter of
urgency to start negotiations for a similar working arrangement with Tunisia;
(5)
launching a special joint
EU-Tunisia operational project as part of a wider
set of measures to address the overall situation of irregular migration in the
Mediterranean region. This project is aimed at strengthening the capacity of
the Tunisian authorities to control their borders, to fight against the
smuggling of migrants and trafficking in human beings, to facilitate the return
and social and professional reintegration of returnees, to support access to
legal migration channels and to treat migrants entering their territory in
accordance with international standards, including by offering asylum to those
in need of international protection. In parallel to this project, to also
assist the local authorities of the EU Member States most concerned by this
issue to address the immediate repercussions of the migratory flows originating
from Tunisia on the local economy and infrastructure;
(6)
ensuring that
Member States make full use of the financial resources allocated to them under
the External Borders, the Return and the European Refugee Funds, including, if
needed, by modifying the programmed destination of the funding and if necessary
to focus on the most urgent priorities (for the 2010/2011 programmes,
€ 425 million is available under these three Funds for the six Member States
most concerned, i.e. Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta and Spain);
(7)
providing additional
resources from these three Funds to support Member States facing emergency
situations in accordance with the provisions of the
Financial Regulation;
(8)
implementing a Regional
Protection Programme (RPP) encompassing Egypt,
Libya and Tunisia, aimed at enhancing the possibility to assist refugees
stranded in these countries and to develop locally the legislation and the
administrative capacity to treat them in line with international standards. Resettlement is also an important component of RPPs;
(9)
planning and
implementing the resettlement of as many persons
in need of international protection as possible from the territory of the
countries neighbouring Libya towards the EU Member States and to other
countries willing to accept them;
(10)
rapidly
reaching an agreement on the adoption of the proposal for the establishment of
an EU joint resettlement programme, with a view
to facilitating resettlement operations.
As mentioned above, a big
concern is caused by the possible increase of flows of persons potentially
in need of international protection coming from
Libya territory at the moment, and in the future possibly from other countries
in the region. The Commission acknowledges the great efforts made by UNHCR,
ICRC, IOM and other international organisations and the support given by the EU
and its Member States in providing humanitarian assistance and other support to
person displaced from Libya. In this context, it is important to ensure that an
adequate level of funds remains available to
support the provision of humanitarian assistance, according to the identified needs.
The financial support
should also address the immediate repercussions of migratory and refugees
flows on the local economic and social situation,
as well as on the local infrastructures, of certain peripheral regions of EU
Member States, such as has been the case in the course of the last years, for
instance, for some of the Canary islands, the Sicilian islands, Malta, Cyprus,
and some of the Aegean islands of Greece. The Commission intends to examine how
allocations under the EU structural funds could contribute to deal with these
situations.
The support to the most
exposed Member States should go beyond financial assistance and make it possible
to share the actual responsibility for management of the migrants and refugees.
The Commission has already proposed a number of measures, including in the
context of the Ministerial Conference on relocation and resetllement which took
place in Brussels on 12 May 2011, that need to be considered carefully and
urgently to achieve this goal. Amongst these measures, it is important to
signal the possibility to deploy EASO support teams to the most concerned Member States, at their request, with a view
to helping the authorities to screen the asylum seekers and offer initial aid.
The current EASO budget would already enable the deployment of such teams to be
financed. Member States should show their solidarity and make available asylum experts to join the EASO teams, as well as
accepting the relocation to their territories of some of the beneficiaries of
international protection. The Commission is ready to support these efforts
through the European Refugee Fund, in the extension of the Malta Pilot Project started
in 2009.
The proposed plan of measures is possible only if adequate
EU financial resources are mobilised. The Commission will examine, on the basis of the available
financial respources, how to ensure appropriate financing to address the scope
of the challenges that the EU faces in this emergency situation. Moreover, the Commission will promote the adequate coordination among
the different internal and external financial instruments to ensure in
particular the support for the cooperation between Member States and third
countries on concrete projects related to border management, migration and
asylum.
The plan of measures
proposed by the Commission (described above) was largely endorsed by the
Justice and Home Affairs Council of 11-12 April. Such measures, which are
essentially of a short-term nature, are now being implemented.
However the Commission
believes that additional measures are required in the longer-term. These
measures should first of all aim at addressing
the root causes of migration at a structural
level. Cooperation with the Southern Mediterranian countries should be enhanced
to effectively address the challenge of creating jobs and improving living
conditions throughout the region. Cooperation should particularly target the specific regions and
categories of persons that are the most affected by the lack of employment
opportunities (e.g. young people as a priority target).
In order to respond to these challenges,
the European Commission and the High Representative have
proposed in the joint Communication on 8 March 2011 to develop a long term
partnership for democracy and shared prosperity with
the Southern Mediterranean countries, based on a threefold approach, one of
them being sustainable and inclusive growth and economic development with a
strong emphasis on employment and social issues.
Longer term measures are also required to
ensure that migration and mobility between the EU and the South Mediterranean
countries are channelled through regular processes and take place in an orderly and efficient manner. This
would imply efforts to help job seekers from these countries finding work
opportunities abroad, in the shared interest of the countries and people
concerned, as well as of the EU and its Member States. This
latter challenge should be seen in the broader context of the evolution of the EU's
demographic situation, as well as the labour shortages it is confronted with.
The EU's needs for targeted labour migration will have to be duly monitored and
reviewed so as to make precise evidence based proposals on the basis of real labour
demands. In this context the substantial contribution of immigrants, of all origins combined, to
the EU economies must be acknowledged. They help to meet the need for highly
skilled workers in the expanding sectors of the EU's economy but also help to
fill many jobs requiring a mix of lower skills.
In the joint Communication on 8 March
2011, the European Commission
and the High Representative have also proposed to develop a partnership on
migration, mobility and security with the Southern
Mediterranean countries.
The Commission believes that the
launching of Mobility Partnerships with the
Southern Mediterranean countries is a crucial tool, beneficial for both sides
to ensure better and more effectively managed migration and mobility, not only
of the citizens of the partner countries but also of the nationals of other
countries, in particular those of Sub-Saharan Africa and of the Middle East,
who increasingly reside on or transit through the territory of the Southern
Mediterranean countries. The launch of such partnerships would foster
people-to-people contacts and further promote mutual understanding as well as
business and employment. This would benefit the economic and social development
of the entire Mediterranean region and the integration of migrants in the EU
and in other countries of destination.
The proposed partnerships will be translated into reality by adopting a tailor-made, country-by-country approach, and on
the basis of a commitment by each country to meet certain conditions, and
taking into account the overall relationship with the partner country
concerned. Similarly, in line with the directions given by the
European Council, it is important that the partnerships encompass, in parallel,
all the different aspects of such cooperation, and that it should ensure that
the progressive facilitation of the movement of persons goes hand in hand with
the implementation of measures that would make such movement secure.
The overall aim of the Dialogue on
migration, mobility and security will be to support and encourage reforms -aimed
at improving security- that the partner countries may engage in, giving their
citizens a possibility of enhanced mobility towards the EU Member States,
whilst addressing the root causes of migratory flows. This Dialogue will be
part of a much wider engagement with and assistance for the countries of
North-Africa in the framework of the renewed European Neighbourhood Policy.
This thematic and specific dialogue will be carried out as part of the broader
frameworks for bilateral relations and dialogue, taking into account, at the
regional level, the Joint Africa-EU Strategy and the Africa-EU Mobility,
Migration and Employment Partnership.
In order to achieve this important goal, as
requested by the European Council, the Commission intends to make full use of
the existing tool available as part of the EU Global Approach to Migration, the Mobility Partnership, which has
proved to be an effective tool for furthering dialogue and operational
cooperation with third countries. Mobility Partnerships will be appropriately
tailored to the specific situation, as well as to the needs, of the Southern
Mediterranean countries in question.
The following principles will apply:
1.
Differentiation: the Dialogue will be offered and developed based on the individual
merit of the respective partner country (country-by-country approach), and take
into account the extent to which progress is made and reflected in national
practices and policy implementation.
2.
Bilateralism: the Dialogue will be agreed between the EU and its Member States and
each partner country separately.
3.
Conditionality: the expected outcomes of the Dialogue would depend on the efforts
and progress made in all areas (migration, mobility and security), and will
take into account also progress made in governance-related areas.
4.
Monitoring: the partners would agree to establish an
efficient mechanism for monitoring the concrete implementation of the Partnership.
EU and Member States' experts would be associated to such a mechanism.
This layered approach will enable the EU to
extend the benefits of mobility proposed in the Partnership to those who
demonstrate their willingness and capability to make progress especially in
those areas that are of importance to the EU.
The Mobility Partnerships will be agreed at the political level between the EU and its Member
States and the partner country concerned, and will encompass, as requested and
agreed by both parties, all measures (be they legislative or practical), to
ensure that the movement of persons between the EU and the partner country concerned is well-managed and takes place in a secure environment.
This would thus bring together all relevant measures in a systematic and
comprehensive manner.
These
measures should contribute to enhancing the capacity for management of the
migration and mobility of persons within the South Mediterranean countries and
in its relations with the EU in all the areas of the EU Global Approach to
Migration, which
aims at (1) better organising legal migration, (2) maximising the positive impact of migration
on development, and
(3) effectively combating irregular migration. In addition to that, the
Partnership would also include a set of measures aimed at ensuring (4) the
promotion and respect of migrants' rights, both of nationals of the partner countries and
of third-country nationals transiting through their territories.
In the
field of asylum, the Mobility Partnership would aim at increasing possibilities for
international protection in the partner country. Promotion of initiatives on integration in EU Member
States that also benefit the countries of origin should be part of Mobility
Partnerships. Successful integration in countries of destination creates better
conditions both for contributing to development in countries of origin and for
the successful re-integration of those who return to their countries of origin.
The Mobility
Partnership should also
include a package of capacity building measures to be implemented in the partner countries, to
be identified on the basis of a tailor-made analysis of the South Mediterranean
countries concerned, and of the proposals and requests made by the latter as
well as by the EU and its Member States, which will fully and actively
participate in its implementation. Capacity building measures in the area of
migration, mobility and integration contributing to achieving these goals can
be listed (in a non-exhaustive way) as follows:
·
increasing
and facilitating the access to legal migration channels for potential migrants on
the basis of clearly identified labour demand needs in the EU and other
destination countries;
·
regular
exchanges of expertise and best practice among Public Employment Services so as
to help deliver successful active labour market policy programs in sending
countries, thus raising the employability levels and prospects of third country
nationals;
·
building
up the capacities of the partner country to assist in the efficient and effective
organisation of legal migration, including recruitment, skills recognition,
return and reintegration of migrants;
·
supporting
the delopment and implementation in the partner country of policies promoting
inclusive growth with employment, employability and all aspects of decent work.
This also with a view to mitigating brain drain;
·
maximising
the impact of migration on development, including through facilitating low-cost
remittances and the channelling of these towards sustainable investments,
reinforced work with diaspora associations and measures aimed at counteracting
brain drain, while taking into account the social aspects of migration;
·
enhancing
the quality of civil status registers in the partner country, and of identity
and travel documents which it issues;
·
respecting
the fundamental rights of any migrants, including those that are nationals of
third countries;
·
supporting
effective integration in the receiving community and a non-discriminatory
treatment of regular migrants;
·
offering
specific assistance to migrants belonging to vulnerable categories of persons
such as unaccompanied minors, victims of trafficking and others,;
·
providing
advice in view of building up the capacity to respond to migrants in need of
specific social, psychological or medical assistance, also in view of
cooperating in the prevention of the dissemination of communicable diseases;
·
ensuring
the application of the principle of non refoulement and offering durable protection
solutions to those in need of international protection;
·
developing
and implementing asylum legislation in the partner country, in line with
international standards, including through cooperation with UNHCR;
·
facilitating
the social and professional reintegration of the nationals of the partner
country returning to their country;
·
providing
assistance for the voluntary return of third country nationals apprehended as
irregular migrants on the territory of the partner State.
The above
mentioned capacity building measures would facilitate circulation of persons
from the Southern Mediterranean countries towards the EU. Such enhanced
circulation will be further ensured through the mobilisation of the following
key tools:
·
The EU
will offer to partner countries the conclusion of a visa facilitation
agreement. The contents
of the agreement however would be different from one partner to the other.
These will be agreed on a case by case basis, but would at least support the mobility of students,
researchers and business people.
· Depending on the actual possibilities and needs
of the EU Member States interested in actively participating in the Mobility
Partnerships and of their respective labour markets, and taking into account
their right to determine the volumes of economic migrants to be admitted, the
Mobility Partnerships could also encompass specific schemes for facilitating labour
migration between interested
Member States and the Southern Mediterranean countries. Such schemes could
enable (1) specific programmes and/or facilitated legal frameworks for circular
migration (including also in the seasonal sector), (2) capacity building to
manage remittances towards enhancing their development impact, (3) capacity
building for efficient matching between labour supply and demand and for
managing return and reintegration, (4) recognition of professional and academic
skills and qualifications, (5) development and implementation of legal
frameworks for a better portability of social rights, (6) enhanced access to
information on the job vacancies available in the EU Member States' labour
markets, (7) identification of measures designed to improve co-operation and
co-ordination between South Mediterranean countries and EU Member States on
matters related to skills and how to better match labour supply and demand,
building upon the work already done by the European Training Foundation (ETF).
Within the framework of a Mobility Partnership, interested Member States, in
line with their legislation, may also decide to take other specific initiatives
aimed at facilitating access to their labour markets for migrants from the
partner country.
The increased mobility as outlined above
will depend on the prior fulfilment of a certain number of conditions, aimed at
contributing to the creation of a secure environment in which the circulation
of the persons would take place through regular channels and in accordance with
the agreed modalities. The specific conditions to be met by each country would
vary, depending on an assessment regarding the fulfillment of the objectives
agreed through the Dialogue with each partner country, as well as by the level
of cooperation developed by the latter with the EU.
Specific
measures to be implemented can be listed (in a non-exhaustive way) as follows:
·
putting
in place voluntary return arrangements;
·
concluding
readmission agreements with the EU, encompassing provisions related to the readmission of their
own as well as third country nationals, while ensuring the full implementation
of their existing readmission obligations;
·
concluding
a working arrangement with FRONTEX;
·
building
capacity in the area of integrated border management, document security and the fight
against organised crime, including trafficking in human beings and smuggling of
migrants;
·
cooperating
in the joint surveillance in the Mediterranean sea, inclduing through possible
cooperation in the framework of the EUROSUR project, once established;
·
demonstrating
a willingness to cooperate with the EU in the identification of its nationals
and residents, in particular in the case of police and judicial cooperation, as
well as for the purposes of readmission and extradition;
·
ratification
and implementation of the UN Convention on Transnational Organised Crime (TOC)
and its protocols on trafficking in human beings and smuggling of migrants.
A Mobility Partnership is conceived as a long
term framework based on political dialogue and operational cooperation, which
will be developed further within the general context of the relations between
the EU and the partner country concerned, and will evolve over time.
To prepare for the conclusion of the
Mobility Partnership between the EU and the partner country concerned, a dialogue
at senior officials' level between the EU and the countries concerned will be set up, with the full participation of Member States, which
would allow both parties to exchange views, clarify expectations and needs and
identify areas of cooperation. This would allow the preparation of political
decisions to be jointly taken at the political level. Such a dialogue would
serve both the purposes of preparing the launching of the Mobility Partnership
and of monitoring its implementation.
During the preparatory phase, the Southern
Mediterranean countries would be requested to make progress towards building
capacity for the efficient management of migration and to contribute towards
establishing a secure environment for mobility, as conditions for the fair and
sustainable implementation of the Mobility Partnership. The EU will support,
both technically and financially, the efforts made by the partner country,
including through the EU Agencies (FRONTEX, EASO and EUROPOL).
The EU will also need reinforced financial
resources to support the progress of the South Mediterranean countries willing
to build up their capacities to manage migration, mobility and security, and to
engage in long-term cooperation on this endeavour.
The EU and the partner countries in the
Dialogue will have therefore to consider best solutions to ensure adequate
financing, within the exisiting allocations, to actions aimed at supporting
capacity building and cooperation in these areas. Similar considerations would
apply to the new financial instrument supporting the cooperation with Southern
Mediterranean countries under the next EU financial framework.
Alongside the development of the Mobility
Partnership, the EU Member States should consider, on a case-by-case basis,
improving their consular coverage in the region,
including through the establishment of Common Visa Application Centres
supported by the EU. Moreover, cooperation under Local Schengen Cooperation
should be reinforced and full use should be made of practical improvements and
flexibility provided by
the EU Visa Code, including reducing
or waiving visa fees and issuing of multiple entry visas to bona fide
travellers and specific categories of people (such as students, researches, and
business people).
In the long-term, provided that visa
facilitation and readmission agreements are effectively implemented, gradual
steps towards visa liberalisation for individual partner countries could be
considered on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the overall
relationship with the partner country concerned and provided that conditions
for well-managed and secure mobility are in place.
The Dialogue for migration, mobility and
security will be launched progressively with the Southern Mediterranean
Countries, including through the development of Mobility Partnerships, and taking into account (1) the overall relationship that the EU
maintains with each partner country, (2) the current level of capacity in the
partner country to manage migration flows, and (3) the willingness of the
latter to engage in a constructive and effective dialogue aimed at establishing
the Partnership. On this basis, the Commission proposes to start dialogues with
Tunisia, Morocco and Egypt.
The measures proposed in the present Communication
represent the Commission's response to the call made by the European Council at
its meeting on 24 March 2011 to present a "plan for the development of
capacities to manage migration and refugee flows in the Mediterranean flows in advance of the June
European Council".
The proposals in this Communication come in addition to
the initiatives proposed by the Commission on 4 May towards a more structured, comprehensive,
rapid-response approach from the EU to the challenges and opportunities of
migration, including strengthened border control and Schengen governance,
completion of the Common European Asylum System, and a more targeted legal
migration.
The Commission stands ready to further contribute to the
elaboration of this Plan, and to its implementation, on the basis of the indications
that the European Council will give at its forthcoming meeting on 24 June 2011.
The Commission is confident that the
proposed set of measures will allow the EU to face up to its responsibilities.
The Commission is also convinced that the EU must give a genuinely European
response to those challenges. Such a response will be truly effective only if
based on an expression of concrete solidarity between Member States and in
partnership with the countries on the opposite shore of the Mediterranean, and
if all the available means and instruments are mobilised.