Statements by President of the Government following extraordinary meeting of European Council

Brussels

President of the Government.- Good evening.

As you are aware, the Heads of State and Government have met following an informal meeting of the Council. This meeting, at which we do not take formal decisions, involves a debate on the future of one of the issues that is of greatest concern for the European Union at this time and, in general, for our citizens, which is the issue of asylum and economic immigration.

You are aware that a meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council was held yesterday, at which it was agreed to distribute 120,000 people entitled to asylum among the different EU Member States, and today we had a global debate on what is taking place in the European Union and on what needs to be done in the future. This will continue in October at a formal meeting of the Council.

Let me outline some of the things decided:

- Firstly, to offer support and increase the support for the UN High Commission for Refugees and the World Food Bank. Spain has undertaken to contribute 3.5 million euros more than we had allocated in the General State Budget.

- It was also agreed to step up relations with Turkey since, as you are aware, there are more than two million Syrian refugees in Turkey. And also with Jordan and Lebanon.

- And furthermore, an issue that particularly affects is that we have decided to hold a meeting in Malta in November with the countries of the African Union - an African Union-European Union Summit, which will logically tackle these issues of economic immigration.

In the end, after much debate and after a great deal of time requesting it, the European Union will implement a Cooperation Programme with these countries because, in reality, the only way for people to stop leaving their own countries, thereby risking their lives and being manipulated by the mafias is for us to increase the standard of living and for people to be able to live in their own country in a dignified manner. This is something that Spain has been requesting for a long time; it has now been accepted, and hence, I am very pleased. There will be aid offered and an increase in cooperation on the part of the European Union with the African countries attending this summit to be held in Malta, as I said, in the month of November.

Q.- How much Spanish aid will thus be given after adding this additional 3.5 million euros?

President of the Government.- I believe that 7 million euros, but I cannot say that with absolute certainty, but I believe that 7 million euros with the additional 3.5 million.

Q.- Has the debate on the quotas to be distributed been opened? There are some countries that we know are very reluctant to accept mandatory quotas; one, specifically, has also said that it will take the matter to the courts. Has this issue been re-opened?

President of the Government.- No, we have not spoken about this issue because it was an issue that was tackled yesterday at the Justice and Home Affairs Council. Indeed, there are four countries which said yesterday, as you are aware, that they are not going to accept the issue of the quotas; we, however, have accepted it. But the European Union is going ahead with a very broad majority to implement this.

Q.- Will there be more funding for agencies like FRONTEX?

President of the Government.- Yes, there will. Logically, this is one of the most important issues. I have believed for some time now that this is the most important issue we will face in the coming years, both in terms of asylum and of economic immigration. And I also think that the only solution is to help those countries so that the people who live there can live a dignified life and do not have to risk their lives and possibly die, as we have seen on so many occasions, simply because they cannot live in their own country.

So, we are going to step up the issue of border control but, at the same time, we are going to increase aid to those countries, which I believe is the smartest approach and the way to truly resolve the problem, even though it will take time.

Q.- Are you trying to prevent refugees from reaching Europe?

President of the Government.- No, what we are trying to do is to help people and resolve the problem at source. In other words, if Syria were a normal democracy and a war was not going on there, it is clear that people would want to live in their country. When people leave their own country it is because there is a war, because of political persecution or, quite simply, because they cannot live there. So, the smart policy, albeit a medium- to long-term policy, is to help those countries and for people to have a better life there. That is what we seek to do.

Q.- From your point of view, was there division yesterday regarding the distribution of quotas? The press statement has had to be re-drafted today. Is Europe united over this?

President of the Government.- This is a difficult issue; it is very complex and strongly moves public opinion. I believe that the vast majority of European countries have been in this position in the past, but you must also understand those that haven't, which are, indeed, four countries from what was previously Eastern Europe, and we must respect their position. We are in favour.

One of the hallmarks of Europe is the right to asylum, the respect for the rights and liberties of people, and when someone is persecuted in their own country or a war is on, the logical thing is to take them in.

The issue of economic immigration must be resolved in a different manner, by helping these countries, which is what we have spoken about today, and I believe that this is a step forward. We will see how this can be implemented but this is a battle I have been waging for a long time now because problems are resolved, in the end, by getting to the bottom of the matter and not by trying to resolve them when the only solution left is a bad one.

Q.- President of the Government, Have you watched the debate with your Minister for Foreign Affairs?

President of the Government.- I have been at the Council meeting and as you will appreciate, I cannot do two things at the same time: watch a debate being held in Barcelona and, at the same time, attend the European Council. I haven't watched it and I don't know how it went, but I am sure that it will have gone well in terms of the interests of common sense.

Q.- We have become aware today of a file opened against various countries, including Spain, over the issue of asylum policy. What do you feel about that?

President of the Government.- That is an issue that hasn't been spoken about here, but which we have indeed heard about, and I have read that Germany, France, Italy… But then, no-one is sure who a file hasn't been opened against. In reality, it is said that none of us have incorporated - or at least the vast majority of Member States of the European Union - the legislation on asylum. We will look at exactly what it is. But it seems strange that Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the vast majority of countries…, not the United Kingdom because it is not affected by this legislation. In reality, I don't know. It doesn't seem to me a major issue of great importance.

Q.- President of the Government, on the issue of the debate on border control, have you discussed the possibility of creating a European border and coastguard body, as proposed by the European Commission?

President of the Government.- No.

Q.- And will Spain back this proposal in the end?

President of the Government.- We would support a proposal of this nature because we, as you expect, support all the operations that are presently going on in the Mediterranean, and so logically we would support this one. It would have to be a medium- to long-term operation, but it is very important. To date, Spain has been able to carry this out on its own, with its own resources, but there are other countries, apart from Spain, which are smaller and have fewer resources and greater difficulties in doing this. And, in terms of everything related to creating European policies, I am all in favour.

Q.- .President of the Government, hasn't the government left it a little late to set out to the people of Catalonia the risks of secession? In other words, hasn't it wasted too much time and only now, in the last few days of the campaign, are the government, the banks and other institutions laying out the risks which we all knew existed a long time ago?

President of the Government.- I believe that one of the most positive things happening recently in Catalonia is that many people who had not previously gone public in saying what they felt are now doing so. We have seen business leaders, we have seen financial institutions, we have seen leading members of society and this is crucial. And there are others who had been saying this for a long time. For example, today I was in Gerona with my party, with the People's Party, which has been waging this war for many years. It comforts me that important people have come out in society - I don't mind when they have done this - to offer their opinion and express their criteria, on something that is truly nonsensical and incomprehensible in the 21st Century, which is the century of union and the century of integration. Of course, this is truly a step backwards on the road to nowhere.

I hope that as from the 27th we can tackle this issue sensibly and with common sense, and that this dynamic that only serves to generate division and tension, and create problems and place the economic recovery under way in Spain at risk can become something of the past.

Thank you very much.