EU Minister Karoline Edtstadler spoke out in favour of a shift in the EU’s migration policy direction, saying the recent deadly migrant shipwreck in Greece is not the way.
On Tuesday, the EU ministers prepared for the upcoming European Council on Thursday and Friday, with the key focal points centred around supporting Ukraine and addressing migration-related matters.
“In order to continue as an EU, a change of direction in migration policy must happen,” Edtstadler told journalists before the meeting with her counterparts in Luxembourg, APA reported.
Edtstadler described migration as “the great challenge of the next years and decades in the EU”. While the interior ministers’ decisions regarding a unified asylum and migration policy would have set a significant trend, it would now be imperative for the heads of state and government to address this issue in a comprehensive manner, she continued.
Austria and other states strongly advocate for a broader scope in the ongoing debate, Edtstadler stressed. “The boat accident in Greece has shown that things cannot go on like this.”
The ministers also provided Ukraine with reassurances of continued support during the meeting. While Edtstadler considered it appropriate that the Commission gave a verbal update on Ukraine’s enlargement progress, she criticised that Western Balkan states would receive unequal treatment.
“The Western Balkan countries also deserve an update on their path towards the European Union”, she stressed.
On Friday, Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg presented the “Friends of the Western Balkans”, a group of seven EU member states keen to speed up EU accession for Western Balkan states during the Europa-Forum Wachau in Lower Austria.
(Chiara Swaton | EURACTIV.de)
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