Migration would be one of the EU’s top priorities in the coming year, the president of the European Commission, Josè Manuel Barroso, said in his first “state of the union” speech to members of the European Parliament in Strasbourg yesterday.
In a wide-ranging address, emulating the State of the Union address by US Presidents, Mr Barroso spelt out the priorities the EU Executive will be working on, including immigration and asylum, economic governance, negotiations on the future budget of the EU, the acceleration of the EU2020 agenda for growth and jobs and increasing the EU’s profile on the world stage.
Avoiding the mistake he did a year ago when, in outlining his second five-year term programme he sidelined the issue of migration, the former Portuguese Premier this time underlined the need that the EU makes bold steps in this area.
He said that while the EU would still welcome migrants, it would fight growing concerns over racism and xenophobia and made it clear that Europe’s doors would be closed to illegal immigrants.
“Legal migrants will find in Europe a place where human values are respected and enforced. At the same time, we will crack down on the exploitation of illegal immigrants within Europe and at our borders.
“The Commission will make new proposals on policing our external borders,” Mr Barroso said to a round of applause by MEPs.
Indirectly referring to the issue of the recent Roma expulsions by France, he warned that Europe must not make the mistakes of the past. “Europeans will find that their fundamental rights and obligations exist wherever they go. Everyone in Europe must respect the law and the governments must respect human rights, including those of minorities. Racism and xenophobia have no place in Europe. On such sensitive issues, when a problem arises, we must all act with responsibility. I make a strong appeal not to re-awaken the ghosts of Europe’s past.”
Putting back on track the EU’s economy following the economic and financial crisis, generating more jobs and strengthening the EU’s internal market will also be among the main priorities on the EU’s radar in the coming 12 months.
Advising member states to give priority to cutting budget deficits and reining-in public debts, Mr Barroso said the time had come for the EU to introduce an exit strategy so that the economy would once again be put back on a sound footing.
He said each member state was in the “same boat” and they would “swim together” or “sink separately”.
Mr Barroso said Europe had withstood the worst of the downturn, adding that “the economic outlook today is better than one year ago, not in the least as a result of our determined action... But our work is not finished. We must accelerate our reform agenda.”
Among legislative proposals in the pipeline, Mr Barroso mentioned a new approach to the EU’s single market, a set of new rules to better monitor the individual budgets of member states and a new energy action plan.
The EU’s “state of the union” address will become an annual event on the European Parliament’s agenda.