Statement of the Ambassador Andrej Logar on behalf of the EU Presidency delivered at the closing conference of the project "Towards a Comprehensive Response to Mixed Migration Flows" within the Dialogue on Mediterranean Transit Migration
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen
I would like to welcome you as a representative of European Partner States of the Mediterranean Transit Migration Dialogue and as a representative of State currently holding Presidency of the European Union on this conference on the Dialogue on Mediterranean Transit Migration (MTM).
Slovenia has been an active member of the Dialogue on Mediterranean Transit Migration since its inception in 2003. We hosted the MTM Brdo meeting in June 2006, which served to pave the way to the current closing project ‘Towards a Comprehensive Response to Mixed Migration Flows’.
We believe, that current project, which was launched in Porto in November 2006, is important since it is setting the base upon which to build future joint activities in the Mediterranean region.
Indeed the Arab and European Partner States Working Document on the Joint Management of Mixed Migration Flows spells out the common agreed priorities in the area on both sides of the Mediterranean for the years to come.
We believe that agreement on the Working Documents’ content paves the way for the identification of joint priorities and activities in mixed migration management.
In recent years and in particular since joining the European Union, Slovenia has had to adapt to increased and/or new migration flows. We have developed approaches and practices to manage these flows, and we are willing and happy to share those with the members of this Dialogue. And of course also willing to learn from other partner states in this process.
Slovenia included intercultural dialogue as on of its priorities in the time of the Presidency, as aspect that is very much linked to migration, and intergovernmental Dialogue.
The European Council of December 2007 underlined the need for a renewed political commitment in the development of a comprehensive European Migration policy. This is an important priority for Slovenian Presidency, in order to meet the challenges and harness the opportunities that migration presents in a new era of globalization.
Slovenian Presidency also believes that migration and related matters constitute a key area if one wants to address the freedom and security concerns of the Community and its citizens. Slovenia will focus in particular on closer partnership and cooperation with third countries.
Slovenia will take forward the implementation of the Global Approach, which is considered to be one of the most innovative approaches to migration management and of great importance to the European Union and its Member States.
Significant progress has already been achieved in implementing this approach especially with regard to Africa and the Mediterranean.
Slovenia supported the Ministerial Conclusions agreed on the occasion of the First EUROMED Ministerial meeting on Migration which was held in Algarve in November last year. Slovenian Presidency believes that implementation of the principles and objectives of the Conclusions through the implementation of the concrete measures from the area of legal migration, illegal migration and migration and development, is of a great importance.
At the end I would like to underline that in cooperation with France, Spain and the Commission special attention will be paid to the preparation of the second Euro - African Ministerial Conference on Migration and Development (the first Ministerial Conference was held in Rabat on 10 - 11 June 2006) which will take place in France in the second half of 2008. The Slovenian Presidency will continue to promote the dialogue with key countries of origin and transit in particular in the framework of Article 8 and 13 of the Cotonou Agreement.
