Migration must be managed centrally by the EU, the Deputy Minister of Migration and International Protection, Nikolas Ioannidis, said on Wednesday, stressing that "together with support, synergies and collaborations we should all be able to manage this huge issue".
In his statements to journalists, Mr. Ioannidis, who participated today in the Annual International Meeting of the Contact Committee, organized in Paphos by the Electoral Service of the Republic, pointed out that in the context of the conference they are given the opportunity to present their views to relation to immigration to a pan-European audience.
As Mr. Ioannidis mentioned, officials of the European Commission are participating in the conference, and this is a good opportunity to present their views, as they had expressed them, he said, "and last week in Luxembourg in relation to how we think it should be managed the immigration".
He pointed out that in particular it is preferable to be managed centrally by the European Union and for the member states to receive support in this difficult task of immigration management, adding that no single state or each state individually can deal with this huge issue.
The Deputy Minister of Migration noted that the adoption of the EU pact on migration and asylum is a positive development, which, as he said, they want to function properly so that member states are not left to operate unilaterally, and especially, he continued, small states first line like the Republic of Cyprus.
Asked about immigration and the decisions made regarding the barbed wire, Mr. Ioannidis said that the Council of Ministers decided to remove the barbed wire as operationally it did not contribute to stopping the flows from the occupied territories.
They have said that procedures have been initiated to begin the removal, adding that it is "in the final stages".
The Auditor General Andreas Papakonstantinou stated that immigration is a very sensitive issue both in terms of the economic and the humanitarian aspect. He added that there is a willingness from all EU countries, but different perceptions on some issues are evident.
Mr. Papakonstantinou stated that the findings will be released on Thursday evening with the conclusion of the Annual International Meeting of the Contact Committee.
Today, the Auditor General continued, will focus on listening to the European Commission as well as the Audit Institutions which have experience in these matters.
Asked if there is a willingness to deal with immigration as a whole from all EU countries, Mr. Papakonstantinou noted that the willingness is there, however, he noted, what is apparent are the different perceptions on some issues about it and the European Commission is trying to coordinate it the effort.
The Auditor General pointed out that Cyprus and Greece are at the forefront, noting that this issue is burning for them. There are countries that are in the second line and that maybe, as he said, have some different priorities or see the issue differently. This is why we are in the EU, to have a common policy, this is what we are trying to highlight and this is also evident from the discussions we started today, he concluded.
The Contact Committee is made up of the heads of the Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) of the member states of the European Union (EU) and the European Court of Auditors.
Source: KYPE
