site.btaIllegal Migration Threatens European Way of Life, MEP Emil Radev Says ahead of EP Debate

On the eve of a debate on illegal migration in the European Parliament, scheduled for Wednesday at the request of the European People’s Party (EPP), Bulgarian MEP Emil Radev of GERB/EPP identified the need to preserve the European way of life and the security risks posed by illegal migration as the main reasons for calling the discussion.

Radev said that migration has been a particularly worrying issue for the European Union for more than a decade, citing the Nordic countries - and Sweden in particular - where, in his words, there is "a full-scale war with explosions and automatic weapons" involving gangs made up of first- or second-generation migrants.

He also pointed to the difficulties the EU faces in returning illegal migrants to their countries of origin, citing Afghanistan, which refused to accept planes carrying migrants from Germany. "From now on, we must use the language of diplomacy and influence these countries [...] We must ensure that the EU uses trade instruments. We cannot grant free trade rights or preferences to a country that effectively fails to meet its obligations to take back illegal migrants. Nor can we provide aid to countries that effectively obstruct the return of illegal migrants," the Bulgarian MEP said.

Radev highlighted the risk that illegal migration poses to the European way of life. "There have been calls for Christmas markets not to be called Christmas markets, but winter markets," he said, describing this as "a direct attack on our way of life." "Europe has its own values. Yes, it is true that we help those fleeing war and those in need, but we stand by our values and want to live here in Europe as we have lived for centuries," he added.

In his words, the problem is also reshaping the political landscape, as far-right parties exploit the issue and, despite lacking real solutions, become leading political forces in a number of EU Member States.

Radev described the adoption of the EU Migration Pact as a success, noting that it streamlines administrative procedures and shortens to two or three weeks the process of determining whether a person is entitled to asylum or is an economic migrant who should be placed in a closed-type centre at the EU’s external borders. He explained that the deadlines for implementing the five regulations that make up the Migration Pact are now approaching, and that "from here on, we must ensure their proper application in all Member States."

Asked whether the Migration Pact poses risks for countries on the EU’s external borders, such as Bulgaria, Radev said that this country has experience with closed-type centres and could expand them if necessary. He recalled, however, that Bulgaria currently faces virtually zero migration pressure, has invested significant national resources in securing one of the EU’s most challenging external borders - its border with Turkiye - and has been cited as an example within the EU.

"Unfortunately, however, pressure along the Western Balkan route and across the Mediterranean remains a major problem, and a number of measures must be taken there to prevent mass illegal migration," the Bulgarian MEP said.