mr president the vote on the asylum procedures directive this week is very important
it will be a crucial step on the road towards the conclusion of the second phase of the common asylum system by twenty twelve in line with the eu's commitment to the stockholm programme
i would like to thank the rapporteur sylvie guillaume for her outstanding commitment to this file and for the good cooperation between us
you have shown great resilience madam and a deep understanding of the needs of asylum seekers and of the challenges faced by national administrations
the new asylum procedures directive will be the cornerstone of the common european asylum system
asylum seekers must as you said madam be offered the same level of treatment wherever they apply for asylum in the european union
today we know that there are lots of differences which is of course very hard to understand in the same european union with the same international conventions and the same european values
it is crucial that the common procedures are fair and efficient
they must help to prevent abuses of the asylum system but fully respect fundamental rights
i deeply believe that these objectives can be achieved but only if the common rules ensure the same high quality of decision by asylum authorities across the union
the commission proposal has been prepared in this spirit and i note with satisfaction that mrs guillaume and the report of the committee on civil liberties generally support this proposal
many amendments in the draft report in fact increase the level of guarantees to asylum seekers particularly with regard to minors
some amendments also aim to provide more flexibility for the member states by introducing certain grounds for accelerated procedures
i find the amendment on safe country notions very ambitious
it would significantly restructure the set of rules and change practices in member states
i also note with interest the compromise amendments on free legal assistance
this could indeed help to resolve a tricky legal issue that several member states have mentioned
as you know the commission is currently preparing a modified proposal for this directive in order to give a boost to the stalled negotiations in the council
the vote that you will take tomorrow or on wednesday is a strategic benchmark in the negotiations
the commission will carefully consider all parliament's amendments in the preparation of the modified proposal
i look forward to working together with members on this and on the other proposals
