Migration crisis and UK referendum top the EPP leaders’ summit agenda

17. December 2015

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The European People’s Party (EPP) heads of state and government and opposition leaders met in Brussels on 17 December to prepare the agenda of the European Council. The President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, and the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, also attended the meeting. The discussions at the EPP Summit revolved around the European Border and Coast Guard proposal, the situation in Turkey, and the upcoming referendum in the UK. Following the meeting, EPP President Joseph Daul made the following statement: “One of the EPP’s priorities at the moment is to guarantee that the free movement of people within Europe remains intact. But having internal open borders means that we need to secure our external borders. The EPP family has welcomed the Commission proposal on establishing a European Border and Coast Guard agency and believes this is the right step to ensure that we alleviate current border challenges and prevent future ones. While it is our duty to help those refugees fleeing warzones, economic migrants must be swiftly returned to their countries of origin as they cannot be accommodated in Europe,” said the EPP President. The EPP leaders have also agreed that neighbouring countries affected by the migration crisis, like Turkey, should engage and do their part in order to help the people in need and cooperate in securing the European external borders. “Turkey must respect and comply with the promises made during the EU-Turkey Summit on 29 November. The EU has already proved that it can be a reliable partner and the same is expected of Turkey. Immediate action must be taken to help the refugees, who are fleeing dangerous regions and are in need of protection,” continued EPP President Daul. Lastly, the EPP Summit participants agreed that the UK plays an essential role in Europe and that efforts must be made to accommodate the British demands. “We see a European future with the UK as part of it. While the EU institutions will be working towards reaching a compromise, the free movement of people still remains a non-negotiable condition for the EPP. A Europe where people are discriminated against based on their nationality is not a Europe we want to live in. The European Union was created to serve all of its citizens equally, not just a few of them,” concluded the EPP President.  


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For more information contact:

 

Alexandra Henman

Deputy Spokesperson

+32 471 90 76 84

alh@epp.eu

 

Angelos Athanasopoulos

National and Regional Press Director

+32 471 90 76 35

aa@epp.eu

 

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