Europaudvalget 2017-18
Det Europæiske Råd 14/12-17 Bilag 9
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European Council
Leaders’ Agenda
December 2017
Migration: way forward on the external and
internal dimension
After the unprecedented migratory pressure on its external border in 2015, the European Union and
its Member States are gradually restoring control. In the process, we have considerably strengthened
our common policies and instruments. However, the migration challenge is here to stay for decades,
especially due to the demographic trends in Africa. Despite our efforts, the smugglers are working
energetically to exploit further vulnerabilities at our borders. A crisis situation can reoccur and so
in order to prepare ourselves, we need to categorically strengthen our migration policy. To achieve
this, we should first look at what has and has not worked in the past two years. On this basis, we
should consolidate our comprehensive approach and make it more sustainable with secure external
borders and the prevention of mass arrivals as a corner stone. In this context, we must also find a
consensus by June 2018 on the internal dimension of our migration policy, based on the concepts of
responsibility and solidarity.
Our experience to date shows that:
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the EU can only tackle illegal migration effectively with the full involvement of Member
States and by the coordinated use of EU and Member States means and instruments;
no Member State can deal with this common challenge on its own, but decisive action by
lead Member States,
backed by the EU and assistance from other Member States, has
proven
to be effective
in stemming illegal migration flows to Europe, as shown most recently with
Italy’s role concerning Libya;
migration flows differ, and it is important to
distinguish between refugees and economic
migrants
in developing our policies;
ad hoc financial pledging is inadequate
to the scale of the challenge;
the issue of
mandatory quotas
has proven to be
highly divisive
and the approach has
received disproportionate attention in light of its impact on the ground; in this sense it has
turned out to be
ineffective.
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LEADERS’ AGENDA
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EN
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December 2017
 Det Europæiske Råd den 14. december 2017 - Bilag 9: Hyrdebrev fra formanden for DER forud for møde i Det Europæiske Råd 14/12-17 og møde i Det Europæiske Råd (art. 50) 15/12-17
In order to ensure an effective European migration and asylum policy we need:
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stable and long-term financing mechanisms, in place of the existing ad hoc pledging,
on a much larger scale, for both internal and external policies.
A dedicated financial
instrument, specifically geared towards stemming illegal migration, should become one of
the priorities in the new MFF;
tailor-made, long-term partnerships with neighbouring countries, as well as with other
countries of transit and origin,
and joint action to tackle smuggling and migratory pressures
together;
an increase in the returns of irregular migrants
as the current level is still too low; CEAS
reform with regard to the ‘safe third country concept’, and the cooperation of Member
States with selected African countries of origin can contribute to this objective;
global efforts to fight people smuggling and human trafficking as well as
the promotion of
resettlement
as the chief legal pathway for international protection;
operational mechanisms at the European and national levels
to ensure the external border
is effectively protected;
the re-establishment of trust among Member States and a common understanding of
political constraints so as to find ways of
combining responsibility and solidarity
in the
Dublin reform.
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Guidance from leaders will be required to set clear political priorities to prevent mass arrivals at the
external border, tackle root causes and overcome deadlocks that hamper progress internally. In this
respect, the following questions should be addressed:
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Do you agree with the overall diagnosis as set out above?
Do you agree that we need a dedicated financial instrument geared
towards stemming illegal migration and to make it one of the priorities in
the context of the next MFF?
Do you agree that we should work in a consensual way to find a solution
combining responsibility and solidarity in the Dublin reform by June?
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On the basis of the discussion, leaders will return to these issues with a view to seeking a consensus
in June 2018. If there is no solution by then, including on the issue of mandatory quotas, the President
of the European Council will present a way forward for consideration by leaders.
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LEADERS’ AGENDA
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EN
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December 2017