Sassoli: Migration agreement respects fundamental principles of EP proposal

Source: European Parliament (EP) i, published on Monday, September 23 2019.

“Finally we move in the direction outlined by the European Parliament. i

This was the first reaction by European Parliament President David Sassoli i on the agreement reached today in Valletta between four EU i countries: France, Germany, Italy and Malta, on the redistribution of asylum seekers arriving in Europe across the Mediterranean.

The President continued: “Whoever lands in a European country arrives in Europe. The redistribution of asylum seekers between all member states should happen in a regulated way and no longer on an ad hoc, voluntary basis. These are the fundamental principles the European Parliament called for in its proposal for reform of the Dublin Regulation.

“Today’s agreement shows that Europe can only move forward when it combines responsibility with respect for human dignity and the principle of solidarity. I am sure that Parliament and the European Commission will work to broaden the agreement to the other countries of the European Union.”