Speeches

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, with this report, Parliament will finally give an important signal. A different approach to migration can be adopted, a forward-looking approach aimed at maximising the benefits of this phenomenon and not, as usual, aimed at contrast. We lay the foundations for a safe and orderly management of migration, creating legal channels for those seeking work in the European Union and thus removing people from the hands of traffickers and exploiters. But let's not limit ourselves to highly skilled workers. The pandemic has strongly shown that foreign workers make an essential contribution to our economy in key sectors and that there is a very high demand for labour even in less specialised sectors. We are an ageing continent, which needs young people and which can grow not only economically but also socially thanks to labour migration. Let us remember, however, to always focus on the rights of people, who must be protected from any form of exploitation.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I assume that Lukashenko's action is obviously to be condemned without ifs and buts. President Charles Michel announced the opening of a discussion on financing physical barriers against migrants: But what are we going to discuss? We are talking about immoral actions, before they are illegal. They continue to talk about hybrid warfare against the European Union: For me it is very clear that people should not be exploited, but we absolutely do not play their game! Let's put respect for people first: These are human beings and not enemies to defend ourselves against. We are talking about people being violently and brutally rejected. people crowded on our borders, abandoned in the cold without food and without care; People who are not allowed to apply for asylum. I have no other words but one: Shame on you! Shame on you! 15,000 police officers were deployed against innocent, helpless and unarmed people. We weren't even at war! Stop talking about war, let's talk about humanitarian emergency and make ourselves worthy of the founding values of this Union: A Union without walls, a Union of rights, a Union without hatred!

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, in the first nine months of the year more than ten thousand people were rejected, including many children. Violent pushbacks, carried out with beatings and beatings, we have seen the photos of these violence, we have heard the stories of migrants. And it is this violence that some governments want to legalize. We are talking about serious violations of the principle of non-refoulement and fundamental rights. We are talking about human beings being beaten and sent back without granting them the right to seek asylum. The Polish deputy minister was not ashamed to admit that minors are being pushed back to the border. What do we need to investigate again? Twelve ministers were not ashamed to ask the Union to raise walls, walls that, we know, will not stop people, but to make us ashamed for thinking about it. Yet it would take little: internal solidarity and respect for people. I call on the Commission to monitor the situation and act as guardian of the Treaties. We also need an independent monitoring mechanism at our borders, as my group asked for in today's letter to President von der Leyen. We must act immediately.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, last week we read about yet another shipwreck in the Mediterranean. A few days later, the Libyan coast guard rammed a dinghy loaded with desperate people and then shot him. Yes, you heard me right, he shot him and we'll give him the guns, unfortunately. We will read about more deaths, more shipwrecks and more violence this long summer. President von der Leyen and President Michel, do we want to be complicit in these actions on the backs of innocent people? Will the European Union intervene or turn away again? Are we going to set up a search and rescue mission at sea or are we going to let them drown away from this House and our lives? Every drowned dead person, every victim of violence on our borders is an extra brick on the wall of our shame. Gentlemen, we have a choice: We can try to save these people or let our Europe drown in a sea of shame. Let us think now because tomorrow we will not have the right to shed tears or say that this tragedy was inevitable.