European Commission
Malmström

As always, it is very interesting to be in the US and to meet with people who work in academia and various think tanks. I had some very rewarding discussions at Harvard with their dedicated students and a number of researchers about integration, terrorism, trafficking, the European crisis, etc. The discussion mainly focussed on immigration and asylum, which was the theme of my lecture.

I then proceeded to Washington where I had a meeting with Attorney General Eric Holder to discuss the fight against child sex abuse images online and cooperation in matters concerning data protection.

I Tuesday afternoon at the FBI, where I received a detailed report on their work to tackle cybercrime. It was interesting to hear about their experiences, especially as we are now establishing a cyber crime centre in The Hague.

In between these meetings I also met with a number of journalists and with various US officials who work against cybercrime and identify violent individuals who are at risk of being radicalised. We talked a lot about the Breivik case and it is evident that the trial in Oslo has received a lot of attention here as well.

Tonight there will be a big reception at the Swedish ambassador’s home, and tomorrow I will speak at a major conference on cyber security. It is organized by CSIS, a think tank where I did an internship for a few summer months some 15 years ago.

The US election campaign dominates many of the conversations here, and of course it is interesting to follow the campaign up close. Today Bo, the president’s dog made his campaign debut. You can read more about it here.

The sun has been shining in Rome, showing the city from its best side. I’m here to meet with various representatives from the new Government, the Parliament and other organisations.

The Italian government, led by Mario Monti, have totally different European interests than the former Government and it has therefore become a key ally, not least when it comes to my portfolio issues. Today I mainly discussed asylum, immigration, the situation in Lampedusa, integration and Schengen. I met with Interior Minister Anna Maria Cancellieri, Minister for Integration, Andrea Riccardi, members from both the Chamber of Deputies and from the Senate, and several journalists.

I know Giorgio Napolitano from my time as a Member of the European Parliament, having spent five years in the same committee. He is the President of Italy and an impressive man of 85 years. We had the opportunity to meet and he has an astounding knowledge of all matters within the EU. Many people would say that he has been the only stable force in Italy for the recent years and he is very popular.

Meeting with Don Luigi Ciotti, President of Libera

Another important issue for Italy is organised crime and the fight against the mafia. A month ago I presented a proposal on confiscation of criminal assets and that’s an area where the Italians have great experience. In Italy, Mafia assets are turned into social benefits, to projects for the benefit of young people, victims and more. A senior person in this area is the priest Don Luigi Ciotti, founder of Libera, a network of over 1200 different associations, groups and schools working to combat organised crime, to support victims and promoting a society based on the rule of law. They have projects all over Italy and many of them are run with the money seized form the mafia. Tomorrow I will go and visit some of these projects.

Around the world there are more than ten million people, who have fled their homeland because of war, persecution, natural disasters and famine, and that are in need of help and protection. Many were born and have lived their entire lives in refugee camps. Out of these ten million people, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, expects that about one percent will not be able to return to home because of the risk of persecution. They are the most vulnerable of the vulnerable. UNHCR has a so-called resettlement program in which countries can sign up to help these people find a new home and a life lived in dignity.

Today, the EU has taken a historically important step towards greater solidarity in asylum policy – we have finally agreed, after several years of negotiations, to merge the quotas that the countries participating in the resettlement program have set into a joint program. The initiative behind the joint programme was taken during the Swedish Presidency and I was very active in the negotiations to get this in place. A European resettlement program means that we can pool our resources and use them more effectively. It means we might be able to empty an entire refugee camp and offer asylum to the most vulnerable.

Unfortunately, only a few states participating in the UNHCR resettlement program today. The US is the country that receives the most, taking in 80,000 refugees per year. Sweden and other Nordic countries have also taken on a big responsibility but even if when adding all places that the EU Member States provide today we only manage to reach a measly 4 500 places for refugees. We have, however, received positive signals that more EU countries are interested in participating. For our part, we in the Commission continue to support and assist those countries that want to participate. I hope that with a common European program even more countries will be willing to help and we will thus we be standing up for one of the fundamental values of our Union – solidarity. More information about resettlement can be found on UNHCR’s website.

Today, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Italy violated human rights in 2009 by sending boat migrants back to Libya. The unanimous verdict is important and most welcome, albeit not surprising. It clarifies – and confirms the EU Commission’s position – that countries who push back migrants to where they risk persecution, without assessing their situation, are breaching international law.

Shortly after the events of 2009, my predecessor, EU Commissioner Jacques Barrot, demanded that the Italian government at the time clarified how these push-backs had been carried out. The Commission also wanted to know how Italy intended to make sure that such situations would be avoided in the future. As far as we know, no similar returns of boat migrants have been carried out since then.

Last year, more than fifty thousand migrants crossed the Mediterranean in rickety vessels to the EU. According to UNHCR, over 1500 of them died trying. We must come to the assistance of migrant boats in distress, and we must guarantee access to protection to those in need.

Now, the Commission will study the verdict from the court carefully to see whether further action is needed.

February 10th, 2010, was my first day as EU Commissioner. Two full years into my mandate, I can easily say that this has been two tough years. The economic crisis, with high levels of unemployment, has overshadowed all other policy areas. The Arab Spring has brought new hopes of democratic neighbours but also raised new challenges for them and for us.  They have clearly indicated the desire to cooperate with us on issues like migration, asylum, police, security and visa facilitation. This is also in our interest and therefore we are now preparing mobility partnerships with countries in the North African region, starting with Tunisia.

The events in southern Mediterranean have put pressure on the Schengen system, and in September last year I presented a proposal on how Schengen can be strengthened, safeguarding this fantastic achievement, but making sure that we improve our evaluation systems and minimize the risk of abuses. Negotiations are ongoing.

Since February 2010 we have advanced quite a lot in the work on the asylum package, although many difficulties remain. The deadline set by the European council, is 2012. We urgently need a system that is common in Europe, allowing asylum seekers to get the same treatment wherever they launch their application. Today, ten countries receive 90% of the asylum applications in the EU. With all countries having an administration and infrastructure in place, it will allow for a more even responsibility and solidarity between EU members.

We have adopted the long term residence directive, as well as the qualification direction and are very close to an agreement on the European Resettlement Program. The Asylum Support Office (EASO) in Malta is up and running, mainly assisting Greece where all member states, the commission and many others are involved to help the country to set up a reception system as well as build up a functioning border control. All member states participated in the Frontex/led RABIT-operation at the Greek/Turkish border.

In the field of legal migration we have agreement on the single permit and are well advanced in the directives on seasonal workers and Intra Corporate Transferees. This will protect legal migrants but also reduce bureaucracy in the member states. With my college Lazlo Andor we are planning further initiatives on labour skills needed for the future, including the need for further labour migration. In times where growth is desperately needed, we must make sure that we can get the best skills.

We have lifted the visa obligation for Albania and Bosnia and also started the dialogue with Kosovo, enabling easier people to people contact. Visa facilitation negotiations are ongoing with Russia, Moldova, Ukraine and soon hopefully with Turkey and Georgia.

In the security area I am most proud of the anti-trafficking directive that gives us better tools to fight this horrible modern slavery. With the employment of our anti-trafficking coordinator at the Commission’s Directorate-General for Home Affairs, I think we are better equipped than ever. Also, the directive on combating sexual violence and abuse of children is very dear to my heart and will help us to better protect the most vulnerable; our children.

In September last year I inaugurated RAN, the network that will help us prevent and identify violent radicalisation and extremism. The network is connecting local actors from all over Europe – academics, social workers, teachers, victims, and others to exchange information and best practices to prevent young people from falling into violent extremism. We have concluded negotiations on Passenger Name Records (PNR) with Australia and the U.S. and also put forward a proposal on a European PNR.

Corruption is a disease that eats confidence and trust and also erodes the legal economy. Last year I launched an anticorruption package, aiming for a report next year with tailor-made recommendations to all member states. To protect the licit economy is important, as well as restoring trust.

So a lot has been done since February 2010, but many things still remain. I am looking forward to all the possibilities and challenges of the rest of my mandate.

I’m attending a so-called informal council meeting in Copenhagen. And by “informal”, I don’t mean relaxed discussions by the fire, without any strict agenda. On the contrary, we are more numerous than ever – all EU member states, candidate countries, Schengen countries, plus all our agencies – EASO, Frontex, Europol and Cepol, aswell as the chairman of the LIBE committee in the European Parliament. Thus, a fairly large group of people, in the enormous conference hall at Bella Center.

The difference from a “formal” ministerial is that we don’t take formal decisions.

On the agenda is, among other things, the issue of solidarity in asylum matters as well as the green paper on family reunification and the proposal to create a European system for passenger data, PNR.

The first discussion, about solidarity in asylum matters, was launched by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres. As usual, he was crystal clear in his statements and reminded us all that 80 percent of the world’s refugees are in developing countries. It’s always good to be reminded of the global perspective.

The discussion was somewhat fluffy – everyone supports solidarity in asylum matters between EU member states in principle, but few are willing to create a coordinated system for actually helping member states that are under great pressure. However, all member states are contributing to relieve the situation in Greece, and almost all are contributing with resources to the EASO and Frontex agencies. We are also close to being in agreement on the European resettlement program. These are all positive steps. The European Commission is also trying to add a monitoring system and a early warning mechanism to the so-called Dublin regulation, in order to identify problems in member states’ asylum systems. So, there was an unwillingness to commit to concrete targets, but a fairly good discussion none the less.

Discussing with High Commissioner Guterres. Photo: Mia Åsenius

During our lunch, we spoke about integration and family reunification. Family reunification is a vitally important element in the integration of refugees and a fundamental right. The provisions in this field are specified in an EU directive, and according to the Stockholm Program (which sets the framework for a large part of our work), this directive is to be reviewed. Now, the Commission has published a green paper with questions, open for debate. Integration problems exist, as do cases of abuse of the system – such as arranged marriages – but the question is if those problems are solved with a new directive. A majority of countries seemed to think that such a solution would not be the best one. The consultation is ongoing, and everyone can have their say.

Soon, we will be discussing a European PNR system, after which we are having dinner, courtesy of the Danish Presidency. Tomorrow, I am off to Malmö and Lund in my home country of Sweden.

With the Ministers of Interior in Wiesbaden

Today I have travelled to Wiesbaden to attend the ‘Innenministerkonferenz’, when all the Interior Ministers from all 16 German Länder meet, twice a year, to discuss common issues. This has been the tradition since 1954 and even the federal Minister of Interior, Hans Pieter Friedrich, attended (though he has no voting rights). I was invited as a guest and we discussed the asylum package, the Data Retention Directive and the fight against terrorism amongst other things. They also told us more about the extremist network that was unveiled just recently and that is believed to be behind at least 10 murders. Since the German Länder have a lot political power in Germany, including when it comes to European affairs, this was an important opportunity to speak to all the Ministers at the same time.

This morning, I also had a meeting with Owe Hahn, who is the Minster of Justice in Hesse.

Meanwhile, in Brussels, the heads of state and government are getting ready for the summit, which begins tonight with a dinner and will continue tomorrow. Top on the agenda is trying to find a way out of the crisis – treaty changes will be discussed. I’ve said it before and will say it again, it is important that we resolve the crisis with all 27 EU countries. I do not want to see Europe divided in two. It looks like there will be treaty changes of some sort or at least a decision on this matter is expected. It is not a quick fix and it is important that we don’t get stuck in endless ratification procedures in the Member States. We need to focus on the important measure to stimulate growth and make the necessary reforms.

Last year, South Africa alone received 180,000 asylum applications. The 27 EU Member States combined only accepted 260,000 in the same year. Although we hear much talk about solidarity in asylum matters, there is a lack of concrete measures. We see this clearly when we look at how the reception of asylum seekers in Europe is divided. During the first half of this year 75% of all asylum applications in Europe were made in six countries: France, Germany, Belgium, UK, Sweden and Italy. This means that there are 21 EU Member States that could take a lot more responsibility.

Today I have therefore presented a proposal on how we can encourage more European countries to show solidarity. Notably this will be achieved by giving the Member States the opportunity to receive financial assistance for accepting refugees, but it will also work to strengthen the Asylum Support Office, EASO, so they can provide skilled personnel to assist in the handling of refugee claims. Special funds will be available to support countries that wish to receive refugees and we hope that the current relocation program from Malta to other EU countries can be made permanent. We are now also negotiating the final parts of the common European asylum system package to be completed next year. When this is then in place, the countries that currently lack a system for asylum reception will be obliged to build one. You can read more about the proposal I presented today.

Otherwise, I have devoted the day to reading the speeches of Merkel and Sarkozy, ahead of the summit next week.

I am currently in Paris for the G6 meeting. There is a group of Interior Ministers from the six largest EU Member States: France, Britain, Italy, Spain, Germany and Poland. They meet twice a year to discuss current issues. In recent years, both myself, and the Interior and Justice Ministers from the United States have been invited.

Besides the discussion, it was interesting to meet new colleagues, Anna Maria Cancellieri, who is the new Minister of Interior in Italy, and Jacek Cichocki, the new Interior Minister from Poland.

We discussed the asylum package, Schengen and the situation in Greece. The situation in North Africa was also one of the topics. Of course it is not a forum in which we make decisions, but there were some interesting discussions. We are moving forward in the negotiations on the asylum package but it is clear that we need continued effort to ensure a breakthrough after Christmas.

Paris was beautifully decorated but unfortunately there was no time for Christmas shopping.

From Brussels we hear news of a new Prime Minister, the Walloon Socialist Elio de Rupo, and a government statement that six parties have agreed upon. The new Cabinet Ministers will be presented on Monday. It only took 540 days to get to this point – a world record.

Today we received the news from Athens that former Vice President at the European Central Bank, Lucas Papademos, will form the new interim government in Greece. News that is welcomed – hopefully this will create some calm and stability. Both the EU and the International Monetary Fund have been very clear that no money will be paid to Greece until there is a government that supports the necessary reforms. Now we are also waiting to hear about who the new Prime Minister of Italy will be – and of course who will form the government of Belgium.

It’s been a hectic day today. I began the morning by talking at the European Integration Forum, an annual event organized by the Commission together with the Economic and Social Committee. The conference brings together representatives from Member States, government agencies, municipalities and organizations. The focus for this year’s Forum was on the role of the country of origin in successful integration and about circular migration. Then I rushed to a round table discussion which focused on borders and border control, followed by a meeting with a delegation of senators from the French Senate. We had a long discussion on asylum, migration and above all on Schengen. From the French quarter, there has been some criticism of the Schengen proposal I presented in September. The French think we go too far in suggesting that the decision to reintroduce borders should be taken at the European level. But it was a useful and constructive discussion.

Before lunch I also had a meeting with Alexander Bastrykin, who is chairman of Russia’s Investigation Committee. The Committee is tasked with investigating serious crime, and will report directly to the President. I raised the EU’s concern about the Magnitsky-cases and the murder of Natalia Estemirova, which the Committee is looking into.

The last formal meeting was with Torbjorn Jagland, Secretary General of the Council of Europe. We tend to meet regularly to discuss issues of common interest, but as we haven’t seen each other for a while, the lion’s share of the conversation revolved around the horrible events in Norway this summer.