​Jorge Fernández Díaz highlights importance of swift implementation of future European Border and Coast Guard

Three crucial issues occupied the agenda for today's meeting: migration as a global responsibility; the Common European Asylum System; and border control. Regarding the latter, the acting Minister for Home Affairs expressed Spain's satisfaction to his European colleagues on the fact that the European Parliament has given the green light to the new regulations that will strengthen the role played by FRONTEX with new powers over borders and coasts. In his speech, Jorge Fernández Díaz stressed that "Spain is highly interested in the future European Border and Coast Guard becoming operational as soon as possible, in order for the EU to be able to offer a better and proportionate response to the migratory pressure on Europe".

Furthermore, the Minister for Home Affairs said that the priorities for this new agency include "maintaining sound, fluid and trust-based work with our partners beyond the European Union; in other words, the countries of origin and transit for migratory flows". Jorge Fernández Díaz emphasised this aspect by highlighting the satisfactory results from Spanish migration policy stemming from a strong basis on collaboration with the countries that are either the starting point for or lie along the path of migratory flows heading for Europe. Jorge Fernández Díaz brought this best practice developed by Spain to the debate at Thursday's meeting in the hope that the good results obtained by Spain can serve as an example or point of reference within the EU.

The future European Border and Coast Guard, which will have greater powers than FRONTEX, will have more human and technical resources, thereby allowing it to tackle the migrant crises on the borders of the European Union immediately and with full respect for human rights. It will have a total of 1,500 officers, of which Spain will provide 111, who will undertake the tasks involved in identification, registration, fingerprinting, asylum application processing, combating illegal immigration and, in particular, combating the people trafficking networks.

Adequate border control

Thursday's meeting also dealt with the creation of a travel information and authorisation system for those people who will not need a visa when they enter the Schengen Area. Regarding this project, which is still being debated, the Minister for Home Affairs told his European colleagues that he is confident this system will be useful. "Furthermore, we believe it is necessary insofar as that it will help provide greater security in the control of our borders. It will allow adequate border control, which will manifest in three areas: the fight against illegal immigration; increased citizen security; and defence of the Schengen Area. To defend the Schengen Area, we must act from beyond our own borders", he said.

The EU Home Affairs Ministers also discussed the future European Asylum System, a project that should be born from consensus and constructive pro-European wishes. In this regard, the Minister for Home Affairs also referred to the relocation and resettlement programmes developed by Spain, which have allowed a total of 305 refugees to arrive in Spain - a figure that will increase over the course of this summer. To date, Spain has received 187 people via relocation programmes, of which 147 come from Greece and 40 from Italy, and 118 via resettlement programmes, of which 57 come from Turkey and 61 from Lebanon.

On the issue of migration, the ministers discussed the High-Level Meeting on migration due to take place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York in the autumn, which will be followed by a summit on the same issue. Spain presented its best practices, which it wishes to share with the other United Nations countries and which will provide added value to Spain's involvement in this conference. "Spain's position is based on open and sincere cooperation with the countries of origin and transit. One of the cornerstones of our migration policy is balanced cooperation and dialogue between equals with the countries of origin and transit for migratory flows", said the Spanish Minister for Home Affairs.