The situation in Libya is extremely worrying. I saw Gaddafi’s speech yesterday where he showed his true colours. I’m pleased to hear about the Libyan ambassadors and politicians standing up to Gaddafi and clearly stating that the violence is not acceptable.
We have to prepare for the worst case scenario and prepare to address a potential situation of migrants coming from the region to the EU. We are exploring the possibility for the Commission to propose that these migrants could stay in the EU temporarily if the situation should deteriorate.
In light of the recent events in North Africa and the Middle East it’s clear that we must renew our European Neighbourhoods Policy (ENP) with more concrete goals. One main element of an enhanced ENP is mobility, for Eastern as well as Southern partners. We need to create an environment where we allow businesses to reinforce their contacts and cooperation, be more open to receive and provide training to students and allow researchers to benefit of the knowledge and expertise available in the EU. We also have to facilitate labour migration.
For me it’s also crucial that a greater emphasis is put on democracy, rule of law and human rights. We haven’t done enough in this respect.
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