Today 15 March, Minister of Foreign Affairs Eva-Maria Liimets and Minister of the Interior Kristian Jaani attended the informal video meeting of the foreign affairs and home affairs ministers of the European Union, which focused on the external dimension of migration.
“The proposal for the European Union’s New Pact on Migration and Asylum is predicated on its external dimension, that is, agreements with countries of departure and transit to prevent mass migration. The aim of the meeting was to reach a better understanding between member states on which approach would be the best in case of third countries, so that we could get the desired results by acting together. A possible solution is the Team Europe approach adopted in the development cooperation of the European Union, which means that the EU is closely cooperating with third countries, pooling our skills and resources. The most crucial aspect of preventing irregular migration is supporting countries in addressing its root causes,” the foreign minister said.
The minister also supported the appointment of a European Union return coordinator to improve practical cooperation in the return process. “In addition to cooperating with third countries, we must also have a regular exchange of ideas within the European Union. Today’s joint meeting of home affairs and foreign affairs ministers helps improve our communication but in the long run, it would be useful if the return coordinator would bring together the strands of the internal and external dimensions of EU return policy,” Minister Liimets added.
“The European Union alone cannot solve migration problems. Cooperation requires the efforts of at least two parties to be successful,” Minister of the Interior Kristian Jaani said. “The European Union should work out a mutually beneficial partnership with third countries. For example, the European Union should support third countries in anti-smuggling activities, and help improve their border management and increase their IT capabilities,” the minister added.
According to him, the use of the Readmission Case Management System (RCMS) should be expanded as quickly as possible, and we should continue addressing the root causes of migration and invest in strategic communication related to migration for a more successful fight against disinformation in countries of origin. Jaani agreed that third countries could be moved to improve return cooperation by various policy measures, such as the possibility of stricter visa requirements.
On 23 September 2020, the European Commission published its proposal for a New Pact on Migration and Asylum that aims to create a new and predictable migration management system in the EU. The proposal’s focus is on preventing migratory pressure and on actions of the external dimension, which include anti-smuggling activities, strong border management, dealing with the root causes of irregular migration in third countries, legal migration, improving the return system, and reintegration.
Additional information:
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia
Communication Department
[email protected]
