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Kalimera. Dear Prime Minister, thank you again for welcoming me in Athens, and for the good meeting we just had.
This
is the second time I am here in sixteen days. I have already visited
Vienna, Ljubljana, Zagreb and Skopje, and from Athens I will go to
Ankara, Istanbul and Belgrade.
The
purpose of my trip is to build a European consensus on how to tackle
and solve the migration crisis we are facing. Greece is among the most
affected countries, in fact the most affected. Let me repeat what I said
here in Athens only two weeks ago: Excluding Greece from Schengen is
neither an end nor a means in this crisis. Greece is part of Schengen,
of the euro area and of the European Union and will remain so.
We
must build a European consensus based on our joint decisions and rules.
We must avoid divisions among us, as they do not bring us any closer to
a solution, but only erode trust. Unilateral decisions without prior
coordination, however understandable they are in a national context, are
in fact detrimental to the European spirit of solidarity.
We
have to avoid an illusion that instead of the full respect for Schengen
rules, there might be another, easy and convenient European solution.
Respecting the Schengen rules will not solve the migration crisis. I am
fully aware of this. But without it we have no chance to resolve it.
As
we agreed two weeks ago, we have to end the so-called wave-through
process. This is happening as we speak. And this is why, here from
Athens, I want to appeal to all potential illegal economic migrants
wherever you are from: Do not come to Europe. Do not believe the
smugglers. Do not risk your lives and your money. It is all for nothing.
Greece or any other European country will no longer be a transit
country. The Schengen rules will enter into force again.
As
we strengthen our external border control, we need to massively step up
our support to Syrian refugees and the countries neighbouring Syria, as
well as to help tackle the negative consequences in the most affected
Member States, above all in Greece. This is a matter of utmost urgency.
And this is why I welcome the Commission's announcement yesterday of a
new Emergency Assistance Instruments of 700 million euro for EU Member
States, and in particular Greece, that are facing an extraordinary
humanitarian crisis.
As
I have just seen with my own eyes, the situation along the Western
Balkan route is really dramatic, and so we must act with determination
to improve it. At the moment, Greece is the main entry point of migrants
into the European Union. And so, it is here that the situation is much
more complex and complicated, with a continuous flow of migrants and
refugees arriving via Turkey every day, and with many thousands stranded
in Greece.
That
is also why I will immediately travel to Turkey from here. Our joint
action plan with Turkey is and will remain a priority. We must do
everything we can for it to succeed. This ultimately means that the high
numbers we are still witnessing have to go down, and quickly so. In
concrete terms, it also means that we have to step up the returns of
irregular migrants arriving to Greece from Turkey. That is a priority.
The readmission of more than 300 yesterday is a good sign.
Prime
Minister Tsipras, let me conclude by thanking you again for our meeting
here in Athens, as well as for your constructive approach and efforts.
Greece and the Greek people are paying a very high price for the problem
they themselves did not create. I want to state here very clearly that
the European Union will not leave Greece alone. Efcharistó polý.
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