European Parliament President David Sassoli visited the Greek-Turkish border with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel, and Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, whose country holds the rotating Council Presidency.
After the visit, President Sassoli stated:
“It is important that all three Presidents of the European institutions travelled to the Greek-Turkish border today to see the conditions on the ground. I would like to thank the Greek citizens for their support and dedication in this moment. We urgently call on the Turkish authorities to respect the agreement with the European Union and we remain open for dialogue.
“We would not have understood what we have seen today, if we went back to Brussels without pushing for real change. We need to make a commitment to the thousands of unaccompanied minors who have arrived at Europe’s shores. We urgently need a strategy to protect them and their future. European governments have to show much greater generosity and solidarity with children in desperate need.”
“What we are witnessing at the Greek-Turkish border also shows more than ever the need for a common European migration policy. I am shocked that many European governments continue to ignore this. For the European Parliament, whoever arrives in Greece or Italy or Malta or Spain, arrives in Europe. I call on European leaders to work constructively with us in order to find a solution for the fair redistribution of people in need. This is the only way to live up to our values and make Europe a global leader in the defence of human rights.”
