Speech by Michael Roth, Minister of State for Europe and Member of the German Bundestag, at a reception in Zagreb on 16 January 2017 to mark the 25th anniversary of the international recognition of Croatia

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President Grabar-Kitarović,
Excellencies,
Dear friends,

Twenty-five years of diplomatic recognition are a good reason for Croatia to celebrate. From the very beginning, Germany has been a close ally and friend of Croatia on its way to independence and accession to NATO and the European Union. No one was happier than we were when you finally became a member of the world’s most successful peace project four years ago.

Hans-Dietrich Genscher, one of the greatest champions of European integration, resolutely rejected claims by those who wanted to put obstacles in your country’s way. For Genscher, it was always clear that the EU peace project must be transformed into a pan-European peace project.

From your own history you know very well that peace in the region cannot be taken for granted. Croatia and other countries in the Western Balkans have a vivid memory of the terror that comes with war. EU enlargement is a unique success story. It has helped to define the European Union as we know it today – a peaceful, democratic and prosperous union of values. Within the EU, former enemies can reach a new level of mutual understanding and cooperation.

The division of Europe will not be overcome until all countries of the Western Balkans have joined the EU. Germany will continue to support the prospects of EU accession for all your neighbouring countries without prejudice. We need countries in our immediate neighbourhood that are stable, peaceful, democratic and oriented towards the EU.

Recent discussions by the Council of the European Union regarding EU enlargement have shown that the difficult legacies of the past still cast a shadow on today’s cooperation.

I would like to encourage Croatia to do its utmost to help fostering stabilisation and cooperation within the Western Balkan regions. Let us try to identify solutions rather than problems. And let us not create new obstacles, but rather remove existing ones.

As Croatia is already a member of the European club, you bear a special responsibility to lead by example.

Your support for Serbia and for Bosnia and Herzegovina is crucial for democratic transformation and socio-economic reform in these countries. More sustained efforts to foster reconciliation are what is needed to re-establish trust and regional cooperation.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I am not telling you anything new when I say that the EU is currently at a crossroads. Some people are calling for steps towards greater integration, while others want to give power back to the nation states.

To be frank, we are currently a long way from being a continent that stands together and acts in concert politically. Therefore, it is now up to us to get Europe back on the right track.

I am proud that Croatia is part of what is perhaps the greatest project of our time. How else could we prevent a resurgence of nationalism, divisions, jealousy and hatred? How else could we defend our values and embrace Europe as a genuine community of shared values?

Now in particular, we need committed Europeans to defend the EU against criticism and the trend towards erosion. We have to admit that no one is born a committed European in Europe’s democracies. Becoming and being a member of the European Union is a project for society as a whole! We need a strong and active civil society to make the European project a success.

So what Europe needs now are people who are prepared to roll up their sleeves rather than simply go with the flow, people who inspire others rather than run everything down.

The best way for us to honour Hans-Dietrich Genscher is to convince young people to support the united Europe. Our joint promise to the younger generation should be to tell them that we are working hard so that they will enjoy a bright future. We are working to bring about greater growth, better education and good jobs. Young people are our best and most important asset.

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http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/EN/Infoservice/Presse/Reden/2017/170116-StM_R_Zagreb.html?nn=479796

How many unaccompanied minors reached Italy by sea in 2016

Over 25,000 unaccompanied foreign minors arrived in Italy in 2016. Equal to 92% of all those aged under 18 who landed on Italian shores and ...

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http://www.west-info.eu/how-many-unaccompanied-minors-reached-italy-by-sea-in-2016/

Collection: Independent Family Returns Panel reports

Reports from the Independent Family Returns Panel about the management of processes and issues on the return of families to their native countries or granting of leave to remain.

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https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/independent-family-returns-panel-reports

Research and analysis: Independent Family Returns Panel: 2012 to 2014

Report from the Independent Family Returns Panel on recommendations to the Home Office for managing family returns for 2012 to 2014.

A response from the Home Office on the report is also included.

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https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-family-returns-panel-2012-to-2014

Speech by Minister of State for Europe Michael Roth at the VERN University of Applied Sciences in Zagreb: "The future of Europe – How to address current challenges"

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Students of VERN University,
Mr Štefanović,
Mr Cvrtila,
Mr Ivančić,

I guess some of you probably started the New Year with resolutions. Resolutions are like challenges. Either we want to challenge ourselves or we decide to address existing challenges. In any case, many of us perceive the turn of the year as the right time to take stock. We feel the need to see what is on our plate and to roll up our sleeves and get things done.

To some extent, this also applies to the European Union, in particular the notion of a crossroads after the UK’s Brexit vote. You could even say, rather than a new year we have in fact entered a new era. And there is a lot on the EU’s plate: the spread of populism, the return of nationalism, the wake of the financial and economic crisis, the migration issue, security threats inside and military conflicts surrounding the EU.

The European Union is certainly facing a decisive moment if not even an existential crisis in the history of European integration. Yet, never before has it been so crystal clear that a united Europe must be our response to this crisis.

The way we address the current challenges will determine our future. It will determine the future of Europe. When it comes to the road Europe will head along, the bad news is: it could go either way. Nothing is automatic. The good news is: if we understand what lies at the core of the current crisis, we might find the right answers and the courage to do something about it. Let me go into this a little bit more.

I read on your university website that the mission of VERN is not just to teach competences for successful entrepreneurs. Along with such teaching, the vision is to pass on values that are a precondition for socially responsible entrepreneurs who promote the community's well-being. But why am I stressing this?

We live in times where values like the ones your university is promoting – respect for others, openness, responsibility - are vital for our society, and vital for Europe.

This brings me to what I see as the core of the current EU “poly-crisis”. In a number of EU member states, society is deeply divided. Nationalists advocate homogeneous societies and fuel fears of being overrun by people from different ethnic groups, cultures and religions. They fuel fears of losing identity which in turn feeds resentment and prejudice. Populists, on the other hand, fuel the perception of a growing gap between the people and the elite – by the way, the economic as well as the political elite.

As a result, the EU is experiencing something that national politics in many respects are also confronted with: contempt. As our values of non-discrimination, tolerance and solidarity are called into question, the very foundation of our shared house Europe – our model of a pluralist and open society – is eroding.

One thing is especially important to me: we mustn’t allow populists and nationalists to determine our actions. We, whether politicians or citizens – in particular you, as the youth of Europe - must jointly respond in the strongest terms and speak up for our values and beliefs! Let’s not leave the stage to groups who claim to present the majority, but don’t respect fundamental rights such as freedom of opinion or protection of minorities. Let’s not leave the stage to those who reject a model of pluralist and open society based on the values of tolerance and respect for others.

Admittedly, it is not easy to speak up for Europe and be committed at the moment. In a world of fake news, sensationalism and echo chambers of online social communities, demagogues have a field day. In addition to these social trends, Europe is struggling with major political challenges:

The EU is still dealing with the repercussions of the financial and economic crisis. Greece, for example, has been hit hard by the economic crisis and we are seeing the consequences.

The recent Eurobarometer revealed that in Greece a huge majority of 84 percent feels their voice does not count in the EU. Just to put this in context, in Croatia and in Germany, the majority of those questioned said the opposite: they agree that their voice counts in the EU.

Besides, EU member states are struggling to find a common answer to migration based on solidarity and humanity. The EU urgently has to address threats to internal security posed by terrorism. And, we have to assume greater responsibility in our neighbourhood where destabilisation and armed conflicts continue to impact our external security.

When we speak up, our message must be clear: all of these challenges are the very reason why we need Europe more than ever. Only Europe can be our response to cross-border challenges. Let me give you two examples.

Firstly, many people feel that the EU has failed in the migration crisis. I don’t believe that’s true. Although it is true that we still have a lot of work to do among the EU member states. Not every member state is convinced that we need a truly “European” migration policy, a common approach to a shared problem. Again, when it comes down to it, populist blame-game and rearing national egoism comes at a price.

However, important initial steps have been taken. Cooperation on migration policy with countries of origin and transit has become an integral part of European foreign and development policy. And, some progress has been made on strengthening solidarity within the EU. The member states intend to do more to help each other, coordinated by Frontex, in order to regain control over our external borders. One major milestone in this respect is the establishment of a European border and coast guard agency.
The European Council in December has set a clear timeline on achieving consensus on a comprehensive reform of the Common European Asylum System during the current Maltese Presidency. I believe this decision is an important political commitment by all 28 leaders - rather than simply a new year’s resolution.

Here’s another example, why we need Europe more than ever. The EU has been founded on a legacy that weighs heavily to this day: its history of war, nationalism and racism. The EU’s DNA is twisted around the mission to overcome this legacy. And it’s a great success story. The European Union is a unique peace project and remains our ticket to what people long for all over the world: peace, prosperity and freedom.

Looking around the EU’s closer neighbourhood, we see armed conflicts and crises taking place right on our doorstep, as in Ukraine or in Syria. It must be our shared aspiration that the EU peace project is transformed into a European peace project.

We, as part of the European Union, have a special obligation to ensure that peace, stability, freedom and democracy prevail throughout Europe. For that very reason, it’s so important to continue to give the countries of the Western Balkans an EU perspective and not to leave Eastern Europe to its own destiny.

Last but not least, I want to make a very personal plea to you. The best way to counter Europe fatigue is to experience Europe. We have to make sure that as many young people as possible experience Europe first hand, regardless of their parents’ financial means. So, I can only encourage you: go and study abroad and take part in an Erasmus exchange programme. Get to know your fellow Europeans, their languages, their cultures. Play an active part in this great endeavour. Now and in the future, we need Europe. And for Europe to have a bright future, we need you.

from
http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/EN/Infoservice/Presse/Reden/2017/170116-StM_R_VERN.html?nn=479796

Disfrutar de Alemania en las 4 estaciones

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nirnJ2Q-T6E

Foreign Minister Steinmeier at the Middle East peace conference in Paris: 2017 is a decisive year for the Middle East peace process

Speaking on the fringes of the Middle East peace conference in Paris, Foreign Minister Steinmeier issued the following statement today (15 January):

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Over the past few years we have undertaken huge efforts to reach lasting peace between Israel and Palestine. We have not been successful. Many of these efforts have failed, but the conference in Paris comes at exactly the right time nevertheless. I am grateful to my French colleague, Jean‑Marc Ayrault, for hosting this Middle East peace conference.

2017 will be a decisive year for the Middle East peace process. If I read the signs correctly, there are some thoughts of moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem. If such thoughts in themselves are enough to make the Palestinian side threaten measures and responses, then one can sense right at the start of the year that we may possibly be facing the risk of renewed escalation.

That must be avoided, and this conference can at least contribute to that by giving all those interested in lasting peace in the Middle East another chance to say that the two‑state solution is the only way to create peaceful conditions and to ensure that an Israeli and a Palestinian state can live side by side in the region in peace. For that to happen there can be no room for anything which endangers this process for the future.

That is why a Security Council resolution points out that acts of violence do not make it easier to return to the negotiating table, and nor of course do settlement activities. And so I hope that with the large number of states represented here today – almost 70 – we will arrive at a common viewpoint and a joint declaration.

I hope that the French initiative, for which I am very grateful, will once again get the international community behind the two‑state solution.

from
http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/EN/Infoservice/Presse/Meldungen/2017/170115_BM_Nahostfrieden.html?nn=479796