00:00The latest events in Lampedusa show the need to fix our asylum and migration system and thanks also to EPP
00:09we have made good progress and I thank you for that Manfred and your leadership in adopting proposals that are
00:15core to the pact of migration and asylum.
00:19I strongly urge now the member states to find agreement on the crisis regulation in the meeting of the ministers
00:27for home affairs today.
00:29We must now finish the job, we must ensure proper implementation of the migration and asylum pact then in the
00:36European Union. We need these common rules.
00:38And let me stress this, our citizens rightly so expect that it is Europe that will decide who comes to
00:48us and under what circumstances and not the traffickers and smugglers.
00:53As EPP we know, organized crime and these are the traffickers and smugglers must be fought.
01:01Finally, enlargement is indeed, we all three mentioned, it's a topic that is very close to our heart.
01:07The past enlargement has been a great success for countries such as Croatia and a great benefit for the European
01:17Union.
01:17So we must replicate this with the current candidate countries.
01:22Of course, it's a merit-based process, but this requires simultaneously structural reforms in the candidate countries and a parallel
01:33track of reform on the side of the European Union.
01:36Again, it is very important that we explain to our member states and to our citizens that in the new
01:43geostrategic environment, an enlargement,
01:48merit-based, is strengthening us and is necessary and beneficial for us.
01:53So, this is a view on the discussions we will have today. Many thanks again for the invitation.
01:59It's good to be back in Croatia and it's good to be together here with our EPP.
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