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Athens, 12 December 2023

1st Vice-President of Hellenic Parliament meets with Committee on Security of Parliament of Czech Republic

Addressing the migration issue was the focus of today's meeting between the 1st Vice-President of the Parliament and Chair of the European Affairs Committee, Ioannis Plakiotakis, and a delegation from the Committee on Security of the Parliament of the Czech Republic. The meeting was held in the context of a visit by the Czech delegation in our country to meet with national bodies competent for the migration issue.

Mr Plakiotakis pointed out how crucial the moment is for the EU, in light of the European elections, in an array of issues such as the economy, enlargement, energy, but also migration, and stressed the importance of achieving an agreement on the European Pact on Asylum and Migration before the end of the current legislative period of the European Parliament. He reiterated that the issue of migration is a European one, pointing to the axes that should be regulated at a European level in order to have an effective and functional asylum and migration system that will focus on establishing partnerships with third countries, protecting external borders, the latter action requiring an increase in the relevant community funds for Greece, dismantling smuggling networks and managing migrants within the EU, in the context of solidarity between member states.

Mr Plakiotakis referred also to the contribution of the Greek Security Forces, especially the Coast Guard, in protecting the European borders, where they operate under adverse conditions, having conducted over 40.000 resues to date and having arrested 1.500 smugglers and dismantled 19 migrant smuggling networks.

The Head of the Czech delegation, Pavel ŽÁČEK, agreed that it is important to conclude the interinstitutional negotiations on the Pact, noting the contribution of the Czech Presidency in their progress, while he pointed out the usefulness of visits such as the one he conducted with a delegation to Lesvos and in particular the Kara Tepe Reception Centre and the Safe Area of Lesvos to better understand the problem.

The two sides reaffirmed the progress noted in recent years in their economic and trade relations, underlining the role that parliamentary diplomacy can play in further strengthening bilateral relations.