“The historic agreement” on immigration and asylum reached yesterday between the “27” means for Greece a “permanent European shield of solidarity, protection and assistance in the management of immigration”the vice-president of the European Commission for the promotion of the European Way of Life told APE-MBE Margaritis Schinaswho immediately after the announcement of the agreement received the praise of the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, for the “hard work” of many years.

“For Greece, it means that for the first time we will have a permanent, legal, European shield of solidarity, protection and assistance in the management of immigration, instead of the ad hoc model of crisis management as we experienced in Evros, the Aegean and the shame of Moria. The state-of-the-art – and fully funded by the EU – centers in Samos, Kos and Leros and soon in Lesbos and Chios set the tone for the Europeanization of all relevant procedures that will be brought about by the changes entailed by the Pact“, he said referring to our country.

For Europe, Mr. Schinas added, yesterday’s agreement, which is reached a year before the European elections, is a blow to the populists who wanted immigration as a permanent problem of the EU, not as an opportunity for a solution.

“We proved that our solutions are more powerful than their cries. Europeans will vote with the certainty that, as in the pandemic, so in immigration, there are solutions and they are only effective when they are collective».

Referring to the beginning of the effort, in September 2020, he said that when we presented our proposal for a new European Pact on Migration and Asylum and despite the failures of the past years, we were sure that it was possible for Europe to have one: single, coherent and holistic immigration policy based on the tripartite:

– agreements with third countries of origin and transit

– strong external borders, strong Frontex, common European control procedures

– solidarity and fair sharing of burdens by all partners

This decades long goal was achieved yesterday with the historic agreement of the “27” around the key elements of our proposals:

“Common asylum management and procedures with the right mix of obligations and solidarity”.

Last night’s agreement of the partners complements the progress on previous aspects of the Pact and as he pointed out “paves the way for the final adoption of the package by the European Parliament”.

Concluding his statement, the vice president called the agreement “a landmark achievement, the product of hard work, exhaustive consultation and complex negotiation. Undoubtedly one of the greatest successes of the von der Leyen Commission, as well as vaccines within the political competence of the European lifestyle portfolio.’