Coordination of European migration and trade policies in the context of trade negotiations with Southern Mediterranean partners

18.3.2015

Question for written answer E-004384-15
to the Commission
Rule 130
Inmaculada Rodríguez-Piñero Fernández (S&D) , Juan Fernando López Aguilar (S&D) , Sergio Gutiérrez Prieto (S&D) , Javi López (S&D) , Inés Ayala Sender (S&D) , Elena Valenciano (S&D)

The Commissioner for Trade, Cecilia Malmström, has undertaken to step up negotiations with Mediterranean partners and conclude trade agreements with countries like Morocco, Tunisia and Jordan.

There is no doubt that political dialogue, cooperation and economic interdependence are indispensable tools for progress and international stability. That is set out in the Barcelona Declaration (1995), which also acknowledged the need to find synergies for successfully tackling trade liberalisation, security and the management of migratory flows, whilst ensuring the rights of migrants are protected. In this regard, the Commission made a strong commitment, some time ago, to ‘mainstream and coordinate migration with other policy areas, including […] trade’ (COM(2008)0611 final).

On the basis of the present Commissioner for Trade’s experience as former Commissioner for Home Affairs, and in light of her statements that the Commissioners need to work together even more to be able to coordinate EU policy better, what key elements does the Commissioner believe should be included in a strategy that makes it possible to ‘mainstream and coordinate’ EU migration and trade policies better, specifically with regard to Southern Mediterranean countries?