Europe is a continent whose history has been shaped by many peoples. We will always stand by our obligations to provide safety to people who seek international protection, and we are proud to offer legal migration pathways that will also benefit European societies and economies.

However, in past crises, when unprecedented numbers of refugees and irregular migrants entered the EU, it became clear that Europe did not have the right tools to cope with the pressures. This is why we proposed the Pact on Migration and Asylum. With the Pact, the EU will have a common system to manage migration in a dignified and sustainable way.

After a long political stalemate, in September 2020, this Commission showed the way for a fresh start putting forward the Pact on Migration and Asylum.

The Pact provides a truly unified European system with clear rules for everybody that ensure that no Member State is left alone in managing migration, and that all countries apply fair, efficient procedures, and manage EU external borders in full respect of fundamental rights.

The new rules will ensure a robust and fair migration and asylum management, including more efficient and faster procedures at the external borders. As migration is a changing phenomenon, the rules provide for flexibility in situations of crisis or force majeure in which national systems might become overstrained.

In addition, the Commission has also taken operational measures to support Member States immediately. Four action plans focused on specific migratory routes, and a 10-point plan for Lampedusa have put in place concrete measures including financial support to Member States, border management, and combatting migrant smuggling.

The Action Plans have yielded results. In the Western Balkans, arrivals in 2023 decreased by 31% compared to 2022 and significant efforts have been made by Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Albania to reinstate visa regimes towards certain third countries to prevent secondary movements into the EU.

We have also concluded or advanced negotiations for global partnerships with Tunisia, Egypt, and Mauritania, covering issues such as economic cooperation, cultural exchanges, better migration management, and security.

On 4 March 2022, only days after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Commission proposed, and the Member States accepted, to activate, for the first time ever, the Temporary Protection Directive. This protected all those fleeing the war, granting them basic rights within the EU, including residence permits, access to the labour market, medical care and education for children.

More than four million individuals have benefitted from this temporary protection, and the EU has become a haven for almost one fifth of Ukraine’s children.