KEYNOTE OF PRESIDENT MACRON AT EUROPEAN SUMMIT ABOUT AGREEMENT ON MIGRANT CRISIS

USPA NEWS - The European Union issued a stark assessment of the gridlocked Brexit talks Friday, saying there's been "no substantial progress" on the key issue of the Irish border and advising EU nations to ramp up their preparations for the possibility that Britain could crash out of the bloc without a deal. In conclusions at a Brussels summit, the 27 other EU nations told the U.K. that it must produce "realistic and workable proposals" for what kind of post-Brexit relationship it wants.The President Macron took the leadership alongside with Angela Merkel, German Chancellor, by tackling the tough issue of the migrant crisis, since the Spanish welcomed the las "Boat people" called "Aauarius", and set over France mots of the refugees, despite the critics of the Italian PM, Giueseppe Conti and refusing to welcome them in his country. Here is the integrity of the Remarks by the French President Emmanuel Macron, during the Press Conference at the European Council of 28-29 June 2018.

In a statement, the Council said it had agreed to adopt a "comprehensive approach to migration that combines more effective control of the EU's external borders, increased external action and the internal aspects, in line with our principles and values." It added: "The European Council is determined to continue and reinforce this policy to prevent a return to the uncontrolled flows of 2015 and to further stem illegal migration on all existing and emerging routes."--------------------------------------------- The Council said more support would be provided to Italy and other Mediterranean countries, and "efforts to stop smugglers operating out of Libya or elsewhere should be further intensified." It also stressed that despite a recent uptick in Mediterranean crossings, measures already taken meant the number of detected illegal border crossings into the EU had fallen by 95% from its peak in October 2015. British Prime Minister Theresa May praised the agreement, saying it addressed many issues the UK had previously raised, and would "ensure that people aren't making these dangerous journeys ... in the hands of people smugglers." French President Emmanuel Macron said that despite suggestions a deal would be "impossible," member states had succeeded in reaching a "European solution.". Here is the integrity of the Remarks by the French President Emmanuel Macron, during the Press Conference at the European Council of 28-29 June 2018. REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT MACRON OF THE FRENCH REPUBLIC ON THE OCCASION OF THE PRESS CONFERENCE TO THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Goodmorning ladies and gentlemen. It is up to me to explain in a few words the conclusions of this Council and the two days that have just passed and of course answer all your questions. This Council was first and I hope it should not be forgotten, a Council also of progress on many subjects, which France has put on the European agenda and for a Europe which protects more and takes measures concrete.

THE EUROPEAN DEFENSE AGREEMENT : STRATEGIC AUTONOMY AND INTERVENTION----------------------------- “First of all, in the area of defense, we have made further progress with the agreement on the European Defense Fund pilot project and the launch of the European intervention initiative on 25 June in nine countries, including France and Germany. This is a proposal I made at La Sorbonne last fall. With this new advance, Europe is endowed with a strategic capacity, a real strategic autonomy and intervention. Which means that in one year Europe has made progress on defense, as it has never done since the 1950s. Never. -To be noted- The creation of a structured cooperation, the European fund and now the European intervention initiative.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This will enable concrete upstream co-operation in threat planning and analysis, especially among the most committed and successful armies in Europe. We were able to discuss this issue yesterday with the Secretary General of NATO. All these European initiatives are part of and consistent with our commitment to NATO. But Europe is now endowed with a strength in this area, which did not exist until then. This is, in my view, the appropriate response to the global geopolitical recomposition, but also a cement of European cohesion, where too many countries considered that Europe was not what really protected them. Things are changing on this point. EUROPEAN TRADE AND WTO REFORM AGENDA IN THE G20 FRAMEWORK --------------------------------------------- “Secondly, we have also mentioned the trade dossier and I am very pleased on this point, as we had prepared in Sofia, that Europe has shown itself to be perfectly firm and united in the face of an unacceptable American attack on its European ally. We have reiterated this firmness and committed Europe, which must not remain passive and suffer trade tensions, in a WTO reform agenda that we are pushing and will continue to push in the coming months, particularly in the G20 framework. Here too, a few months ago, we proposed an in-depth reform of the WTO to respond to the current malfunctioning of trade multilateralism, rather than a growing divide, which is now the American proposal. These proposals for WTO reform, acceleration of procedures, reform of the dispute resolution procedure, have been taken up at European level and will therefore be included in the agenda. We have also, in the field of digital, recalled the need for a quick agreement, by the end of the year, as requested by Germany and France, on fair taxation of large companies, as well as the setting up of a European Agency for Breaking Innovation. These points are, in my view, important advances, because there is in our European political life - I will come back to it - crises, moments of tension. But we will only move Europe forward if we also know in the long run what initiatives we are taking and not just respond to crises. On these subjects, which are essential for our military, economic and financial sovereignty, Europe continues to move forward, to take useful decisions and it is the French agenda that is also pushed here“ acknowledged President Macron.

EXCELLENT WORK OF MICHEL BARNIER AND EUROPEAN COMMITTMENT ABOUT BREXIT “We also discussed Brexit this morning, in the presence of Michel BARNIER, whose twenty-seven Member States who were present praised the excellent work and the European commitment. With a simple message: we cannot wait anymore. The withdrawal agreement, which is well advanced, comes up against the Irish question and should be finalized in a few weeks, by the autumn. Michel BARNIER made, on behalf of the Twenty-Seven, a reasonable proposal in this respect. It is now important to seize it. THE MIGRANT CRISIS TACKLED THROUGH AN EFFICIENT AGREEMENT TO FIND SOLUTION --------------------- “The second major topic that I obviously wanted to come back to and which has occupied a good deal of European news is that of migration. We live on this subject, as we have experienced on others, a few years ago, troubled times and those times when Europe must know how to find unity and efficiency. If we look with lucidity the subject of the big migrations, it knew a real crisis, around the years 2015, with the mass arrivals of people exiled mainly from the Near and Middle East, a strong tension with the arrivals coming by the road of Mediterranean from Mare Nostrum and last year and the first arrivals in Europe have been greatly reduced, if I take only the central Mediterranean route, it has reduced by 80% this year compared to the year last, because there has already been a job, a strong commitment---------------------------------------------------------------- I do not disregard the migratory pressure that there is today on Europe, precisely because of all these arrivals and we have a little more than a million and a half people who have arrived on European soil since beginning of this crisis.--------------------- Nevertheless, this situation will not be resolved overnight. In the long term, we will continue to have migratory pressure, given the inequalities that exist between Europe and Africa, given the demographic dynamics of Africa, given the zones of conflict, diverse and varied in Africa. as in the Near and Middle East.------------------------------------------------------------------- It is therefore necessary on this subject not to yield to ephemeral promises. In nothing. I know on this subject how much emotion can carry us away. She touches me like you. But the emotion of a day should not guide an action that, in the long run, must be built.This action in the long term, to my eyes, it must allow, firstly, a Europe at the height of its history and its values. There are things on which Europe can not, must not compromise its great principles, those who have made it, which, as far as France is concerned, in its Constitution, I am thinking in particular of the right of asylum, to the protection of women and men who are at a vital risk in their country because of their religious or political opinions or in view of the war situation of their country.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The right to asylum is not the entire migration phenomenon and it is important to remember it. This does not mean welcoming everyone, regardless of the circumstances of their arrival. But in no way should we compromise on this principle. The second element that should guide us is efficiency. There is a European cohesion to be maintained and therefore a legitimate protection of our borders, a legitimate organization, so that national cohesion does not give way and that we do not let up the fears and with them the extremes in the different European countries. So, do not give in to podium irenisms either. We must have an answer that is explicable, acceptable by our people. Finally, it is the effectiveness that is essential over time to prevent these movements and meet this challenge.

THE CHOICE OF NATIONAL POLICY AND NATIONALITS WITHDRAWAL VERSUS THE EUROPEAN WORLD AND AGREEMENT ABOUT MIGRATION ISSUE-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Given the situation we are experiencing today, there were several choices. The choice of national policy and nationalist withdrawal, it was pushed by some. It had to lead mechanically to the absence of agreement, it was also the repeated threat. On the other hand, there was the choice of cooperation, of European work, of a European agreement to keep moving forward. It is this second way that has prevailed during this Council and I am delighted. We did not succumb to the fascination of the worst. We have come back to the facts, to the indispensable elements of responsibility and solidarity that must continue to build our Europe, and we have been able to build - I believe I can say it - an important agreement, which is only a stage, based on a complete agenda, as we wished. This agreement was built around three components: the external component, the protection of borders and internal solidarity. The external component was part of the Presidency's proposals and helped to establish the establishment of landing platforms, which we collectively support and which we have in fact already practiced. This is exactly what France, with a few others, was able to do at the end of last summer in Libya, which we also practiced with Niger. This presupposes the agreement of the countries in question. This requires important work, on the one hand with UNHCR and IOM, but also with the African Union and all stakeholders.---------------------------------------------------------------- We were able to do this several times, at the end of last summer, during the crisis last winter, I want here to salute the role that the African Union had had, following the terrible images that we had seen from camps in Libya. It is within this framework that this proposal is made. These landing platforms have an interest, they allow to protect more people, since they avoid taking the risk of crossing especially the Mediterranean and they allow, in a framework structured by the UNHCR and the IOM, to go provide protection and recognize, investigate the asylum application files that may exist, sending our teams on site.“ President Macron explained.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The French Head of state added “ It is obvious that on this subject, it is each time under the authority of the countries concerned that the implementation can be done. On this point, we have also noted a reinforcement of our actions with the various security forces, I am particularly thinking of the Libyan coastguards in Libyan waters, who continue to intervene and who, for one year, have increased their interventions, which is also an effective way to prevent makeshift boats and all the risks taken by some people and to better protect the common border." Continued President Macron "The second axis of our discussions has obviously been the strengthening of the common border of Europe. We have already recalled last Sunday - we reconfirmed it - our commitment to, here too, accelerate the deployment of Frontex and additional forces. We have discussed at length the problem of the countries of first arrival. On this subject, it is for me also one of the important points of the agreement that has been found and which is based on a proposal that we made, with the Spaniards, during the visit of Prime Minister SANCHEZ. What is it about ? Since the beginning of the Italian political crisis, the question has been asked whether we can clear a country of responsibility. This is not in accordance with the Dublin Agreements. Yesterday we said that the agreements continued to exist and remain, and that the concept of a country of first arrival could not be removed. Nevertheless, we bring a response in terms of solidarity to this reaffirmed responsibility through the controlled centers in Europe. The purpose of these centers is to help the countries of first arrival to organize, with funding, a European organization, the reception of migrants, the investigation of cases and the return to their country of origin of persons who are not admitted to the protection of asylum. Today, the burden, in fact, lies largely with the country. The Greek Prime Minister has, moreover, expressed himself on this subject very clearly in order to say - I think he will himself say it again with greater clarity - that he was in favor of this scheme and that he was going to apply. When we see what exactly Greece is organizing and carrying, these centers respond to a necessary solidarity without changing the rules of collective responsibility.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is an answer given, in my view, to the Italian request, it is a compromise that we have found: we do not change the rules of international maritime law, we do not change the rules of responsibility that prevail in our law . But we bring more solidarity through these controlled centers and also more efficiency for the return to the country of origin. Finally, we have relaunched the work on the Dublin system, strengthening the responsibility of the countries of entry and European solidarity, by accepting, again, both registration rules on the one hand and flexibilities on the other. modalities, while being firm in principle. But especially by reaffirming an agenda to quickly finalize the directives that are now almost ready and as soon as possible the seven directives that we must conclude. It is, in our eyes, a priority, if we want to finalize all the issues that are ours, it will be the most effective answer.“

THE AGREEMENT ABOUT MIGRATION ALLOWS EUROPE TO LEAVE NEHTER ITS ROLE NOR HISTORY PRESIDENT MACRON SAID----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “This agreement, as you can see, allows Europe to leave neither its role nor history. Would we have failed to find an agreement or prefer national solutions, or decide to betray our principles with technical modalities incompatible with them, that would have been unacceptable for France. We have found an agreement that is in line with our values, provides elements of accountability and solidarity, and allows us to move forward.-------------------------------------------------------------------------- This agreement is an agreement to build, it does not solve in itself the crisis that we are living and which has largely political components, but it allows to respond, to continue to respond in acts to the crisis we are living.-------------------------------------- And because it addresses a complete agenda, external protection and internal borders, and it can provide elements of response to political crises that we live: in Italy in relation to the primary movement, or in Germany as in other countries compared to the secondary movement. I will be able to come back to this point in detail in response to your questions if you wish, but I consider this agreement to be an important step forward and that our action, since it is now the most important, can in this context be quite at the effective and consistent with our principles.“ President Emmanuel Macron explained. EUROPEAN STABILIZATION CAPACITY UNDER THE FRENCH-GERMAN MESEBERG AGREEMENT---------------- “Finally, we had a very important discussion this morning on the reform of the euro area. We have drawn conclusions from the lines of work which are based on the Franco-German Meseberg agreement; and the resulting work at the Eurogroup level which resulted in a letter from the Eurogroup President, Mr CENTENO.---------------------------------------------------------------- This work is going to be wracked over the next few months and we have asked President TUSK to propose precisely to the Council a work schedule until the end of the year, to finalize these discussions.-------------------------------------------------------- These discussions will allow us to make concrete progress with already first decisions in principle following the Franco-German agreement, on the one hand to finalize the banking union and its deepening, with among others the implementation of a safety net that will protect businesses and savers and enable a better functioning of the European financial and banking system, which is essential for better growth. However, on the other hand, by launching a new roadmap and having a European stabilization capacity, a real budget of the euro zone with precisely this function of convergence and investment on the basis of the Franco-German proposal of Meseberg-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We will now have, in the weeks and months to come, at the level of the Ministers for the Economy and Finance and at the level of the Heads of State and Government, discussions which will have technical characters, but which are eminently eminent to conclude by the end of the year this process; and advance on this finalization of the euro area.------------------------- I would like to conclude by thanking the excellent work of Jean-Claude JUNCKER and Donald TUSK in this difficult political moment, and also to acknowledge the resolute commitment of Boyko BORISOV who led the Bulgarian presidency in preserving our unity, allowing progress concretely on detached work, on copyright, in defense matters, and wish the same commitment and success to Chancellor KURZ who takes over as soon as Sunday. And finally, I want to welcome here the commitment of Chancellor MERKEL, with whom we have built historic progress in Meseberg on June 19th, which has helped to advance and structure the discussion on the euro area and with whom we have prepared every moment of this summit in this same European spirit. Thank you and I will now answer all your questions.“ President Macron concluded.