law and shall be used only as a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate period of time’. 14. Sufficient and clear information on possibilities as well as (procedures/requests) is lacking and should be improved without delay. impossibilities 15. The overall impression is that progress is being made, but too slow. The delegation appreciates the efforts made by the authorities involved and realises that generally Greece is trying to cope with a very difficult situation. However, it has to be said that further improvements are urgently needed on both the national and European level. 12. Statement to the Council The problems caused by the mass influx of migrants are ‘in theory’ understood by the Council. However, immediate action is lacking and decision taking processes seem to be never ending. Meanwhile people live in deplorable circumstances and/or die. Over and over again the Council recognises that the tragedies occurring in the Mediterranean require a political response by the European Union, through a comprehensive solution encompassing measures in the areas of immigration, asylum and border management. Repeatedly, the Council reaffirms the importance of full respect by all countries of their international obligations, notably those relating to human rights and international protection. Again and again the Council underlines the importance of European solidarity and fair sharing of responsibilities as the founding principles guiding Europe’s activities in managing the EU’s external borders. Clearly, the adoption of above-mentioned statements as well as all kinds of other declarations (like in Berlin) is completely meaningless if Members States cannot get their act together at the same time. Indeed, one would expect the Council to proceed accordingly. However, it is not. It is about time that the Council starts to understand that a reaffirmation of the principle of solidarity ‘on paper’ is not solving the particular pressure put on individual Member States and that such reaffirmation is not in any way of any assistance to persons in distress at sea. Guidelines establishing responsibility for those rescued or apprehended at sea, in accordance with the obligations under international law, should be adopted as soon as possible as well as a mechanism improving responsibility-sharing among Member States, rather than increasing burdens on some Member States. Obviously, solidarity should not be exercised only in the case of border patrols and other police measures to keep illegal migrants out, but also in the international protection that should be afforded to asylum seekers and others in need of protection. The Council should prioritise measures to support reception capacity in Member States with an external border and to ensure that all asylum seekers entering the EU receive the same standard protection, as envisaged in Tampere in 1999 with the commitment to develop a Common European Asylum System in 2010. The management of migration flows is without question one of the most complex, and at the same time most sensitive, fields of policy making. Conflicts of interests arise easily. A self-critical attitude on the part of the Council is therefore essential. Council cannot shroud itself in silence. National interests undermining the European responsibilities and international obligations should not prevail. PE 392.010v02-00 EN 12/16 PV\675423EN.doc