Elena Valenciano Martínez-Orozco (PSE). – (ES) Mr President, I would like to begin by congratulating my friend and colleague Mrs Carlotti for the work she has done, above all because I believe that it brings development policy to the fore within the Union's foreign policy when we are dealing with the phenomenon of migration too.

There is no question that in the future we will not so much have to slow down migration, but rather regulate it, so that today’s movements of people benefit countries of origin, transit and destination, as they have always done.

The States know that their objective and interests can be better served if there is cooperation and if their actions are coordinated. The Euro-African Summit on migration will take place next week in Rabat. Development cooperation is a priority on its agenda.

We would ask that this opportunity be taken to establish concrete measures aimed at the development of African countries and we call upon the Union to make a decisive commitment to democracy, peace and security in the countries of origin of migration, leaving behind the all-too-frequent realpolitik approach.

Perhaps what we should do is promote education, which always brings freedom and development. We must improve and increase the Union’s presence at political and institutional levels.

The right to development is multi-faceted however and it means economic exchange, cultural exchange, conflict management, combating terrorism, environmental protection and policies to promote gender equality.

There is no doubt that migration brings benefits, but the benefits of international migration, not just for migrants but also for the societies receiving them, will only be possible if we maintain respect for the rights of workers, which are the universal guarantee against exploitation. The rights of all workers must be protected, whether they be legal or not.

The measures we provide for must fully respect the rights of people coming to our borders, including the right to asylum. In this regard, the European Union must ensure that asylum seekers are not denied the international protection they require.

As we all know, Mr President, migration and movements of people cannot be stopped. Let us guarantee respect for the rights of migrants.