During the Spanish Presidency of the EU, Germany will support its efforts to reach a consensus on the Migration and Asylum Pact, but it will demand a balance between “order and humanity”, in the words of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Annalena Baerbock, of the Greens party . Baerbock received her Spanish colleague, José Manuel Albares, this Friday to address bilateral issues and prepare for the Spanish Presidency, which begins on July 1. The European Pact on migration will be one of the great challenges for Madrid, after the failure of the German Presidency of the EU in the second quarter of 2020 and of all those that followed to settle it.
At a joint press conference, Baerbock stated that Spain has already demonstrated its ability to “do great things” in the area of ??migration, but stressed that there must be a compromise between “order and humanity” and that it is necessary to respect the conventions of Guinevere about it.
“Europe can only function with a secure border, but that border must have a gate. Because at Europe’s external border we show the face of Europe and this is the face of Europe in the world,” said the green minister, from the comfort of to represent a country that is not on the front line of migration. In her veiled criticism of Spain for the actions to prevent entry into the country from Ceuta and Melilla, the minister added that Berlin will support the Spanish Presidency to find “the best solution in the sense of order and humanity.”
Albares highlighted in his response that, at the European level, it is necessary to find a balance between the responsibility of the states of first entry into the EU and the solidarity that must be extended to all European countries. “We have always liked to play European and play collectively because, faced with a European challenge, the response must be European,” he said.
As far as Spain is concerned, Albares reminded the minister that Spain has “great experience” in cooperation with the countries of origin and migratory transit and indicated that there are a series of formulas that are beneficial to both parties. These include development cooperation programs that offer opportunities to the local population, joint efforts to combat human trafficking mafias, and political dialogue with the governments of origin, she said.
Albares informed his colleague that the relationship with Latin America will be one of the priorities of the Spanish Presidency, since it is “one of the most Euro-compatible regions on the planet”, a large part of the population is of European origin and they share “fundamental values” such as the commitment to multilateralism.
Both referred in another order of things to the situation in Sudan. Baerbock called for an immediate end to the violence for an evacuation of the population of Sudan. “The German government is working day and night to finally get those affected to safety. Therefore, the top priority is a ceasefire at the end of the Islamic fast of Ramadan,” he said.
Alares called for free access to humanitarian organizations and urged the warring parties to resolve their differences at the negotiating table instead of reducing Sudan to rubble. The minister affirmed that Spain has joined the preparations underway in the community capitals to proceed with the evacuation of European citizens in the country.
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