Following the convening by the Luxembourg Presidency of a special Justice and Home Affairs Council to discuss the European response to migratory pressures, Jean Asselborn explains his decision to the press
The Luxembourg Presidency convened a special "Justice and Home Affairs Council" (JHA) on 14 September 2015 to discuss strengthening the European response to migratory pressures that have been exacerbated these past weeks. On 31 August 2015, the Minister for Immigration and Asylum, Jean Asselborn, explained at a press conference in Luxembourg the reasons for which the Presidency is organising the special Council. "There is no national solution, it can only be a European solution", stated the Minister, calling upon the Member States to comply with their international obligations. "According to the Geneva Convention, the door must be opened to those who are in need of international protection and not leave them facing barbed wire fences", he stressed, referring to the barrier erected by Hungary along the 175 km of its border with Serbia. At the same time, it is also necessary to organise the return of persons who are not entitled to such protection, he added.