Migration and Asylum Pact: Time to wrap this package deal up

Ahead of critical inter-institutional negotiations between European co-legislators on all the regulations of the Migration and Asylum Pact today, the Renew Europe group is making a plea to the Council and the other political groups in the European Parliament to come together to finally seal the long-awaited pact.

Renew Europe MEPs call on fellow negotiators to overcome their differences to find sustainable, realistic, and humane solutions. The whole pact must be agreed before the end of the year. Staying on the sidelines and unconstructively criticising without offering tangible contributions on such pressing and crucial issues as migration and asylum cannot be an option. Far-right and eurosceptic MEPs who stoke fear about migration must also stop blocking European solutions.

Fabienne Keller (L'Europe Ensemble, France), the European Parliament's rapporteur of the Asylum Procedures regulation, Vice-Coordinator of the Renew Europe group in the LIBE Committee, and Member of the European Parliament's Asylum Contact Group, said:

“We must address migratory challenges together at the European level - no more ad-hoc solutions. Our Pact is built on pro-European and centrist solutions for better managed external borders, more efficient asylum procedures, greater solidarity between Member States, and more effective returns. We have never been this close to a deal on this long awaited reform. But if we want to finalise the pact before the end of this mandate, it is now or never. It's time to wrap this package deal up!"

Sophie in 't Veld (Netherlands), Coordinator of the Renew Europe Group in the LIBE Committee and Member of the European Parliament's Asylum Contact Group, said:

“This is our last chance, failure is not an option. However, we will closely scrutinise the final result on its merit. Getting a result is the first step, but we also need firm and credible assurances from the Commission that it will finally enforce the law and uphold human rights. As we are celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights this week, we are reminded of our pledge to mankind. It is not with words, but through our actions that we live up to it.”