WORKING GROUP ON MIGRATION IN RELATIONS BETWEEN THE EUROPEAN UNION, LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

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1 Asamblea Parlamentaria Euro-Latinoamericana Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly Assemblée Parlementaire Euro-Latino Américaine Assembleia Parlamentar Euro-Latino-Americana WORKING GROUP ON MIGRATION IN RELATIONS BETWE THE EUROPEAN UNION, LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN MINUTES of the meeting of 23 November 2011, from 9:00 to 11:30 Brussels The meeting started on Wednesday, 23 November 2011 at 9:00, under the co-presidency of Co-Presidents Agustín Diaz de Mera and Jorge Pizarro. 1. Adoption of agenda (AP v02-00) The agenda was approved as shown in these minutes. 2. Approval of the draft minutes of the meeting of 17 May 2011 The draft minutes were approved. (AP v01-00) 3. Co-Chairs announcements Co-chair Diaz de Mera recalled that at its last meeting of the Working Group in Montevideo, the Working Group had decided that once the study requested by the EP had been concluded, the Co-Presidents would draw up a proposal to create the EU- LAC Migration Observatory, based on the contributions from the two members. To that end, the Co-President added that in the present meeting, after the presentation of the aforementioned study by its author, Professor Anna Ayuso, the Co-Presidents would present their working documents on the creation of the Observatory. Finally, the Co-President stated that, as in previous meetings, an exchange of ideas would again take place with various invited guests. 4. Statement by her Excellency, Ambassador Laura Thompson Chacón, Deputy Director-General of the International Organization for Migration, followed by an exchange of views. Ambassador Thompson stressed that the migratory flows of the current century differ from those of the previous century due to the implications of a range of factors, notably globalisation, the growth of trans-border transport and telecommunications PV\ doc AP v01-00 United in diversity

2 links, demographic disparities, political and economic policies that have created opportunities for the free movement of people, forced mobility caused by natural disasters, environmental degradation and climate change, and the technological revolution. She then referred to the role of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) as an international organisation with an almost universal calling but devoid of a legal mandate. Ambassador Thompson emphasised that the IOM provides technical assistance to its members with the intention of creating skills and infrastructure that enable them to manage international migration in an orderly and humane way. In addition, the Ambassador described the changes observed in migratory trends between the EU and the LAC region, which were characterised by European emigration until the 1960s, then followed by a wave of Latin American emigration until the outbreak of the financial crisis in According to the Ambassador, given the impact of the aforementioned crisis in the EU, Latin Americans have been returning to their respective countries of origin and a wave of European emigration is taking place, although this may primarily involve people who hold dual nationality. The Ambassador also alluded to the initiatives on migration that unite the two regions, referring to projects launched in Latin America, to the structured EU-LAC dialogue on migration and to the work carried out by the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly, in particular by its Working Group. Finally, the Ambassador expressed the IOM s willingness to work with the Assembly, given their experience in establishing the ACP Observatory on Migration and the project that the organisation is implementing in the context of the aforementioned EU-LAC structured dialogue on migration. 5. Statement by Robertus Rozenburg, Deputy Head of Unit for International Affairs (DG HOME, European Commission), regarding European Union immigration policy Mr Rozenburg presented to the Members the recently approved Communication by the European Union on the global approach to migration and mobility. Mr Rozemburg described the four pillars on which the global approach is based: organising and facilitating legal migration and mobility, preventing and reducing illegal migration and human trafficking, promoting international protection and reinforcing the external dimension of asylum policy and maximising the impact of migration and mobility on development. Mr Rozemburg stressed that the human rights of migrants have a universal dimension that is relevant to all the four pillars of the global approach. Finally, he referred to the dialogue regarding migration between the EU and Latin America and the Caribbean and emphasised the importance in this context of the project being carried out by the IOM, which is financed by the EU. 6. Presentation by Professor Anna Ayuso of the Centre for International Studies in Barcelona of the study requested by the European Parliament on the creation of the Migration Observatory. AP v /6 PV\ doc

3 Professor Ayuso presented the study requested by the European Parliament on the creation of the EU-LAC Migration Observatory. Professor Ayuso made various suggestions relating to the objectives, tools, institutional structure and financing of the Observatory. Following the statements by the three guests, a discussion took place. Statements: Justo Cardenas (Parlatino) and the Co-Presidents. 7. Presentation by the Co-Presidents of their working documents relating to the creation of a Migration Observatory, followed by an exchange of views. The Co-Presidents briefly presented their working documents on the creation of the EU-LAC Migration Observatory, after which an exchange of views took place between the members Speakers: Gustavo Borsari (Parlasur), María Muñiz de Urquiza (European Parliament), Ilda Figueiredo (European Parliament), Timoteo Zambrano (Parlatino), Ana María Acevedo (Parlacen), Gloria Oquelí (Parlacen) and the Co-Presidents. Decision: As a result of the discussion, and on a proposal made by the Co-Presidents, the Members decided: To instruct the Co-Secretariat to prepare a joint proposal on the creation of the EU- LAC Migration Observatory, based on the working documents of the Co-Presidents and under their supervision; - That the Co-Presidents will present the joint proposal to the EU-LAC Foundation President; - To instruct the Co-Presidents to take the appropriate initiatives in respect of the other institutions of the EU-LAC Strategic Association with a view to promoting the establishment of the Observatory, notably in the context of the EU-LAC Structured Dialogue on Migration; - To ask the Chilean Co-Presidency of the EU-LAC Strategic Association to include the establishment of the Observatory in the agenda for the next EU-LAC Summit in Santiago de Chile; - To cooperate with the IOM specifically in order to benefit from their experience in the context of the APC Migration Observatory. 8. Miscellaneous PV\ doc 3/6 AP v01-00

4 Nothing to report. 9. Date and place of the next meeting The next meeting of the Working Group is scheduled to take place in Mexico City on February The meeting was closed. AP v /6 PV\ doc

5 LISTA DE ASISTCIA / RECORD OF ATTDANCE / LISTE DE PRÉSCE / LISTA DE PRESÇAS América Latina y el Caribe / Latin America and the Caribbean CPM UE-Chile Jorge Pizarro Soto, Co-President CPM UE-México Jorge Ocejo Parlandino Valeska Saab, Patricio Zambrano Restrero, Oscar Arboleda Parlacen Gloria Oquelí, Ana María Acevedo Parlasur Gustavo Borsari, Julia Argentina Perié Parlatino Timoteo Zambrano, Justo Cardenas Co-secretariado ALC/LAC Co-Secretariat Julio Cámara (CPM EU-Chile), Rubén Vélez Núñez (Parlandino), Gustavo Arrighi (Parlasur), Carlos Chacón, (Parlandino), Ricardo Lagos (Parlacen) Parlamento Europeo / European Parliament Miembros Titulares / Full Members Agustín Díaz de Mera García Consuegra, Co-Presidente, María Muñiz de Urquiza, Raül Romeva i Rueda, Ilda Figueiredo Otros Miembros / Other Members Bernadette Vergnaud Co-secretariado PE / EP Co-Secretariat Pedro Valente da Silva, Javier Fernández Fernández, Francisco Cabral Consejeros de los Grupos políticos / Political Groups Counsellors Itziar Munoa (ALDE), Andrea Cepova (ECR), Juan Fernandez (SD), Mireia Rovira (GUE), Gaby Küppers (Verts/ALE) Otros funcionarios / Other staff Servicio Jurídico : Stefania Lucente Por invitación de los Co-Presidentes / At the invitation of the Co-Chairs Emb. Laura Thompson, Deputy Director General of the International Organization for Migration Robertus Rozenburg, Deputy Head of Unit for International Affairs (DG HOME) of the European Commission Anna Ayuso, Centre for International Studies, Barcelona Pedro Hernandez, Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs Otras Instituciones / Other Institutions PV\ doc 5/6 AP v01-00

6 European Commission: Maria Alvarez, Julien Frey European External Action Service: Juan Fuentes Leja IOM: Adriana Detrell, Anne Radicetti, Eugenio Ambrosi, Diego Beltrand, Olivier Grosjean, Tamara Keating Embassies :Alex Lazarowicz, Polish representative, Uruguay Mission, Martin Alvarez; Chile Mission, Alex Wetzig, Mexico Mission, Bosco Tinoco AP v /6 PV\ doc