"Unregulated migration is a burden that local and regional authorities across Europe carry. Their practical and pragmatic response in helping those who flee to Europe can only be achieved if structured procedures and fairness are applied at the European level" President of the EPP/CoR Group Michael Schneider said during the CoR plenary session debate with Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
President Schneider addressing European Commission Vice-President referred to the intensive debates in Germany around developing concepts for distribution of people, their entitlements; return policies and financing to support local and regional levels responsible – "Those findings are very important, but I am afraid national solutions would not be enough, if we don't find unified responses at the European level. We need to come up with common solutions. It's both a historic challenge and historic responsibility".
Federica Mogherini in her address noted the importance of the role of the regions and local authorities play in supporting migrants but also in application of a successful EU foreign policy, especially in the neighbouring countries. Paraphrasing the EPP/CoR motto "think globally, act locally" she said that in a world of numerous non-state actors, and states often perceived as being too far from citizens "we need to think continent-size, we need to broker regionally, and we have to act local – and here the partnership between us can make the difference".
Commissioner Mogherini has also referred to the Nobel Prize winning Tunisia's National Dialogue Quartet, as an example of non-state actors being part of an important peaceful process of building a democratic country.