Slovenia Times

European In the Spotlight Union
Slovenia has played a crucial
role in upholding and implementing
a European and collective approach
in addressing these challenges.
tionalities cannot obtain asylum simply in the
Member State in which they arrive and apply.
Q With more than 2.7 million refugees, Turkey is
a very important stakeholder in the management
of the refugee crisis. It seems that cooperation
between the EU and Turkey should be more effective,
especially in the fight against crimes such as
human trafficking and smuggling.
A The current refugee crisis is not a European
or a Turkish problem – it is a global challenge
and therefore requires a global solution. This
means that we have to strengthen our collaboration
with key third countries – and Turkey is
an essential partner in this.
Both Turkey and Europe are under significant
pressure as we are confronted with
the same challenges. We have to commend
Turkey for hosting around 2.7 million Syrian
refugees and more than 200,000 non-Syrian
asylum seekers and refugees, offering them
access to healthcare and education and now
also employment. Let me stress that, in recent
months, the Turkish authorities have made really
substantial progress in fulfilling what was
agreed in the 18 March EU-Turkey Statement.
As a result of this, for example, they are now
fully cooperating with Greece and with the EU
on readmission and we see a clear reduction in
the number of irregular arrivals to Greece with
a continuing downward trend. Thus, I want to
be clear: this agreement is beneficial for both
sides. It is in Europe‘s interest to have a democratic
and stable Turkey as a neighbour and it is
to the interest of Turkey to have EU as a stable
supporter and partner. This is an old friendship
with a long-term perspective which goes
beyond the current refugee crisis.
As far as the fight against trafficking and
smuggling is concerned, it is true that we must
develop more effective cooperation with not
only Turkey, but all relevant stakeholders. On
19 May, I presented the very first report on the
progress made to address the trafficking of human
beings. It is not only a serious violation of
fundamental rights, but also a highly profitable
criminal act. This is also valid for smuggling,
as smuggling people into the EU has become a
EUR 5bn a year multinational business, according
to Europol‘s recent report. And many of
the criminals and suspects in both smuggling
and trafficking are connected to other forms
of crime. This is why we must address not only
the risks but also the roots of these crimes, including
offering more safe and legal channels
so vulnerable people don’t resort to dangerous
smuggling networks when seeking safety.
Q Could the global talent migration in the EU
make a difference from your perspective and how
do you, on the other hand, handle the radicalisation
issue?
A First of all let me be crystal clear: we should
not confuse migration and radicalisation.
In the future we will need skilled migration
to address the demographic challenge that
many countries in Europe face while, of course,
continuing to invest in existing workforce
development and addressing unemployment
within Europe. This is why, very soon, we will
propose a reform of the EU Blue Card to make
it more attractive and flexible for foreign talent
to come to Europe and also a Skills Agenda to
further improve the skills development within
Europe. In addition to this, we are also planning
a review of our entire legal migration
framework to address any gaps or inconsistencies
and to make our migration policy more
future-proof. Soon I will also present an EU
Action Plan on Integration to support Member
States concretely across all relevant areas of
integration, both for those who have recently
arrived as well as those migrants who have
already been residing in Europe for a while.
As European societies become increasingly
diverse, we need to rethink how to make our
policies more inclusive for everyone.
With regard to the second part of your question,
we need to grasp that terrorism cannot
be defeated with security measures alone. The
response to radicalisation and recruitment to
terrorism needs to be holistic, starting from our
neighbourhoods and schools, going up to the
judicial system, the police and to the political
level. We must re-think our inclusion efforts,
our educational structures and our whole approach
to promoting tolerance and common values.
Prevention is the first and most important
step, but a comprehensive security follow-up is
equally necessary with increased intelligence
gathering and sharing. We have the tools for
this: from the Radicalisation Awareness Centre
of Excellence for practitioners to the EU Internet
Forum which creates a mechanism to fight
terrorist propaganda online. And of course, in
all of this, our cooperation with key third countries
that face similar challenges is essential,
both on the prevention side through poverty
reduction, ensuring sustainable socio-economic
The current refugee crisis is not a
European or a Turkish problem –
it is a global challenge and
therefore requires a global
solution.
development and rule of law, as well as on sharing
of information and collaborating on security
follow up – these are critical pieces of the antiradicalisation
and counter-terrorism puzzle.
Q How does the relocation scheme for Europe
operate with Germany along with countries such
as Sweden being the most favourable destinations
for migrants?
A Overall I cannot be satisfied with the progress
on relocation achieved so far. By mid-
May 2016, just over 1,500 applicants out of
the 20,000 target persons have, in total, been
relocated from Greece and Italy. More has to be
done, and swiftly! We need to quickly respond
to the urgent humanitarian situation in Greece
and prevent any deterioration of the situation
in Italy. The planning for upcoming relocations
must be delivered and I have urged all Mem-
Smuggling people into the EU
has become a EUR 5bn a year
multinational business,
according to Europol‘s recent report.
ber States to put in place effective planning to
increase their pledges and reduce the response
time on relocation requests. Slovenia is progressively
relocating refugees from Italy and
Greece to comply with its target for this year,
and I want to commend Slovenia not only for
this, but more generally for the important role
it has played in contributing to a European approach
of solidarity and responsibility-sharing.
One thing is clear: new arrivals cannot
choose the country of asylum they wish to go
too. We need a fair distribution mechanism and
this is precisely what we have proposed under
the reform for Dublin. We need a better sharing
of responsibility and solidarity. No country can
continue to face these challenges alone.
Summer Edition 2016 | The Slovenian Times
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