Speeches

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, every year more than 90% of the irregulars arriving in Europe rely on the vile services of smugglers. According to Europol, this traffic is worth around €6 billion a year, fuelling criminal activities on a global scale. Criminal organisations exploit migrants and the weakness of our borders to facilitate inhuman trafficking, which puts the lives of thousands of people at risk and promotes unmanageable immigration. In this context, we cannot ignore the role, at least ambiguous, of some NGOs, whose work facilitates traffickers, acting as a pull factor and facilitating the completion of illegal routes. It is essential that NGOs operate in full transparency and in coordination with European authorities. Europe must show that it is up to the challenge of security and justice. We agree, Commissioner: Europol needs to be strengthened with adequate resources and expertise to dismantle criminal networks, more cooperation with third countries, in particular those of origin and transit, and strong bilateral agreements, including border control and return and not foolish immigration policies.

Mr President, Madam High Representative, ladies and gentlemen, the Assad regime in Syria has collapsed, taking all the major world powers by surprise. The same can be said for the terrorist attack by Hamas. This raises the serious question, in unstable global quadrants, about the efficiency of intelligence and diplomatic services. Assad was a ruthless dictator – there is no doubt about that – but I believe that Europe needs to look more aloof at what is happening, before celebrating a sort of pluralistic turn: prudence for Turkey's roles and unscrupulous attitude; caution because the weakening of Putin and his withdrawal from Syria could lead to a retreat to Libya, finding the Russian fleet in front of the Strait of Sicily; caution because al-Jolani's soul is mixed with jihadist thought and because the factions in the field could lead to a fight of all against all and a consequent migratory earthquake. The temporary suspension of asylum applications for Syrian citizens, adopted by many countries, reflects the urgency of addressing the challenges in a responsible and coordinated manner. If the hope is that the will to start a virtuous path in Syria is sincere, its reconstruction requires respect for its territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence. But our help must demand the rejection of all extremism, respect for international law and diplomatic representations and the protection of minorities.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, if a man is not willing to take risks for his ideas, or his ideas are worth nothing or he is worth nothing. This sentence of Pound perfectly outlines the spirit of Daphne Caruana Galizia, a courageous journalist who made life and the search for truth one thing, to the point of putting life itself before the fight against the corruption of his country. A very difficult battle to break Pandora's box of admixtures between government and malfeasance, which first cost her declarations of hatred, then a bomb, a device with which illicit corruptions were wanted to remain hidden, continuing to crush the body of Malta. Seven years on, there are still many unanswered questions about Daphne's case and we must strongly call for significant results from the Maltese Government in improving the judiciary and substantive freedoms. Honoring memory, however, means keeping alive the flame that burns in the hearts of journalists immune from any conditioning, witnesses of social and civil function and information that exposes mafias, bullying, criminal systems. Information is freedom, especially where it is fragile or held hostage. Paraphrasing Jünger, remembering all those who gave their lives for the sake of truth, they lived in a time when it was necessary to be courageous and having courage means being up to any destiny.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the external dimension is fundamental to the management of immigration and cannot be separated from the development of strong cooperation between countries of origin, transit and final destination of flows. Frontex is a central player in the scheme and any initiative aimed at enhancing its external action should be encouraged. It is therefore desirable that part of the legal framework applicable to the common foreign and security policy be applied to the Agency's work in third countries. Frontex must be given greater autonomy and powers to intervene in capacity building. In fact, so far, some attempts at cooperation or agreements with third-country authorities have been wrecked, as Frontex is not considered by those authorities to be a useful interlocutor to offer resources and technical assistance directly. Moreover, the lack of reliability of some third countries on the issues of respect for fundamental rights cannot constitute an obstacle to the Agency's intervention, since, in appropriate circumstances, its action aimed at transferring their international standards to border management must be desirable.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the Schengen area is a precious asset that must be protected, but more and more states are showing a willingness to implement stringent measures to better control immigration, to counter the undue migratory pressure to the social consequences it entails, to stop human trafficking, to prevent the risk of synergies between organised crime and terrorism, to protect Europe's historical, cultural and civil features. However, the reintroduction of border controls is a limited instrument. Rather, Europe needs to change its order of priorities from how to manage internal movements to how to defend external borders. Frontex data certified the effectiveness of the Meloni government's strategy, which from the beginning focused on the external dimension, with rational, non-ideological policies, to block illegal departures through equal cooperation with the countries of departure or transit. The so-called "Mattei Plan" must become the pole star of the European Union, in the spirit of Global Gateway, targeted at the areas from which it originates, from which illegal immigration originates and originates. If it is true that we need migration quotas, then it must be governed, of quality and compatible with our cultural heritage.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the events in Solingen call for a broader reflection on the complex phenomenon of emigration to Europe. First point. The front is expanding more and more, even with unexpected voices and belated repentance, of those who call for a strong European alliance against irregular immigration. The time is therefore ripe for a clear change of strategy that includes a tightening of security and asylum policies and the fight against traffickers. Second. The path to follow is the one traced successfully and with great interest by Giorgia Meloni to the Italian government: the Mattei plan and the agreement with third countries that overturn the paradigm dear to someone, that is, no longer the right to emigrate, but the right to remain. Third. The entry and integration of foreigners into Europe cannot be based mainly on economic requirements, such as income, work or housing, but also, and perhaps above all, on cultural requirements. We respect those who believe that they cannot renounce their culture, the form and substance of their principles, even when they are incompatible with ours, but it is clearly not Europe where this person should remain. On the contrary, those who want to stay in Europe must respect laws and traditions in accordance with a fundamental principle: Respect and you will be respected, recognized and you will be recognized.