Submitted by Administrator on Wed, 01/10/2014 - 09:53
The best way to combat illegal migration is to set up a regular immigration framework and not a “Fortress Europe”, according to Dimitris Avramopoulos, the Greek commissioner-designate for migration and home affairs. EurActiv Greece reports.
The former Greek defence minister appeared before the Parliament's Civil Liberties and Home Affairs Committee (LIBE) on Tuesday (30 September).
Avramopoulos surprised socialist and left-wing MEPs in the audience by toning down his conservative rhetoric, mentioning many times that the protection of fundamental and human rights was a top priority.
The former mayor of Athens made clear that he was against “Fortress Europe”, while insisting that the EU's external borders must be policed effectively.
“The answer [to the current challenges] is definitely not Fortress Europe," he told MEPs. "History has proven that fortresses built for the protection from external threats ended up enslaving those they were built to protect”.
The declarations by the Greek Commissioner-designate appeared to placate MEPs who were initially sceptical of Avramamopoulos's appointment.
Tanja Fajon, from the Socialist and Democrats (S&D) group in Parliament, said, “I welcome the commissioner-designate’s clear and loud position against Fortress Europe. Socialists and Democrats insist that building high walls around Europe or national states leads to very dangerous isolation," she said after the hearing.
for more information on this issue please visit Euractiv: http://www.euractiv.com/sections/eu-priorities-2020/immigration-commissi....