On 28.09.2023, the Internal Affairs section of the Justice and Internal Affairs Council, organized by the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, took place in Brussels, Belgium. Romania was represented by Mr. Cătălin Predoiu, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Internal Affairs.
The agenda included topics related to: the external dimension of migration, the Pact on Migration and Asylum, cooperation with Latin America to combat organized crime and drug trafficking, the consequences of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
Following intense negotiations, it was found that there is significant support from Member States on the Crisis Management Regulation, with the Presidency concluding that a general Council approach could be achieved in the coming days. The regulation is an essential tool that will ensure adequate management of extraordinary situations in the field of migration, establishing solidarity and support measures that member states can benefit from.
Regarding the external dimension of migration, the Minister of Internal Affairs emphasized the urgent need for measures to regulate migration in all its aspects. He expressed concern about the situation of the numerous landings faced by the Italian authorities in the last period, in the island of Lampedusa, specifying that Romania will support Italy, by taking over some people in need of protection, based on existing commitments.
Regarding the subject of the consequences of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the Romanian Minister of Internal Affairs highlighted the efforts undertaken by Romania to support people displaced from Ukraine as a result of the war, expressing support for the one-year extension of the application of temporary protection introduced by Decision (EU) 2022 /382, in agreement with all the member states of the European Union.
During the working lunch, which was also attended by partners from the countries of the Latin American Committee for Internal Security (LACIS), the representative of Romania highlighted the fact that the problem of drug trafficking is a very sensitive subject, with strong ramifications, a context in which cooperation is needed more than ever. He mentioned the need to develop and strengthen joint actions both to combat the phenomenon by law enforcement authorities and to prevent consumption.
In the context of the meeting, Mr. Cătălin Predoiu, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Internal Affairs, had discussions with Mrs. Ylva Johansson, the European Commissioner for Internal Affairs, as well as with the counterparts from Spain, Mr. Fernando Grande-Marlaska Gómez and Bulgaria, Mr. Kalin Stoyanov. During the meetings, topics of common interest were addressed, highlighting Romania’s objectives, at the level of internal affairs.
The Minister of Internal Affairs declared at the end of the meeting, based on the positions supported in the JAI Council, the following:
„The JAI Council approved an important regulation on migration, more specifically on crisis management. This regulation is part of a „package” of 5 regulations on migration, which will constitute the new legislative framework of the EU on migration, a legislative framework that has been under negotiation for no less than 8 years at the level of the European institutions. The other four regulations are in dialogue at the level of the European Parliament. Recently, the European Parliament blocked the discussions on the other four regulations, making their adoption conditional on the JHA Council unblocking the discussions on the fifth, the crisis regulation agreed yesterday, so that the Parliament debates and adopts all 5 interconnected regulations together regarding migration. That is why yesterday’s discussion of the JAI Council was important, because it practically unblocked the entire process at the level of the European Parliament. The Roadmap for the adoption of the new legislative framework at EU level on migration provides for the approval of all regulations no later than February 2024.
Illegal migration has become a challenge and a test for the entire European Union. This file, like other important European files of interest to Romania, will be and will be solved successfully only through the unity and solidarity of the Member States. Romania has demonstrated its solidarity and it is ready to support member states under pressure, such as Italy today. Romania has demonstrated its efficiency in border protection and asylum and migration policy and is ready to provide its expertise, for example on asylum and return procedures, a field in which it has already been requested in this regard by an important state member of the EU.
The external dimension of migration – that is, addressing the phenomenon even in the countries of origin based on cooperation with them – is the key to short- and medium-term success in reducing illegal migration. But the support that the EU will give to third countries of origin must be accompanied by guarantees and measures to ensure that this support reaches its destination and that third countries will deliver tangible results in reducing illegal migration. We must ensure that the money of European tax payers is used effectively and with concrete results in reducing migration within the framework of future cooperation agreements with third countries of origin of the migration phenomenon.
Regarding the fight against drugs, as I have repeatedly emphasized this issue before, a global phenomenon must be fought globally, through cooperation. We have started and will intensify the fight against drugs at home on all levels until we bring the phenomenon under control and drastically reduce it in all aspects – production, trafficking, and consumption. But, at the same time, we will be very active in cooperation with EU member states and not only, by exchanging information on drug producers and traffickers, and through cross-border police operations, which will support the fight in our country as well. We will take strong allies in the fight against drugs in Romania. And at the European and global level, we will be reliable allies in the fight against drugs. This is why, the step taken today by agreeing the intergovernmental declaration with 14 countries from the Latin American Committee for Internal Security (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Colombia and Honduras) has created a new tool in the global fight against drugs. Many large-scale producers are located in Latin American countries and the agreements signed today take this reality into account.
Regarding the support given to the refugees from Ukraine, Romania is in the front line and this matters and will matter not only for our self-respect, as a European nation sincerely in solidarity with those in need, not only for our prestige and reputation in the world Euro-Atlantic, but also for the long-term interests of our country. The work of this JAI Council, which involved complicated negotiations until the last moment, including during the meeting, demonstrated once again the inexhaustible resources of constructive and intelligent diplomacy, the most effective way for each member state to achieve its interests. The European concept and the European spirit work in this way, with all the difficulties inherent in any case.
Finally, on the sidelines of the JHA, we had a series of bilateral meetings with the Bulgarian ministers, Kalin Stoyanov, and the Spanish, Fernando Grande-Marlaska Gómez, the latter representing the rotating presidency in exercise, but also with Commissioner Johansson, and the day before JAI, during an informal meeting, I had discussions with the Vice-President of the European Commission, Margaritis Schinas, the Croatian Minister of the Interior, Davor Bozinovic, and, last but not least, with the Austrian Minister Gerhard Karner. In all these meetings we addressed the topics including from the perspective of our country’s interests, and I appreciate that each of these meetings represents as many elements of support for our immediate and perspective interests.”
