EU countries failing to implement the New Pact on Migration and Asylum, narrowly endorsed by the European Parliament on Wednesday, could face legal action, the bloc's home affairs chief has warned.
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00:00The EU Home Affairs Chief has issued a warning to member states.
00:04Julva Johansson says those who fail to enforce the new pact on migration and asylum could
00:10face legal action.
00:12Johansson spoke with Euronews following the European Parliament's migration policy reform
00:17vote.
00:18All member states have to implement it and to apply and if not, the Commission will of
00:23course act and use, if necessary, infringement.
00:26But I must say that I'm pretty convinced that member states will implement the pact
00:31now quite quickly.
00:32They seem to be quite eager to do the implementation and I'm convinced that they will also apply
00:37it.
00:39Johansson says she's confident Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk will abide by the rules.
00:45He's voiced firm opposition to the pact.
00:48And Johansson rejects claims the new rules will drive human rights violations.
00:53It's very, very clear in the legislation that we're actually strengthening the protection
00:58of the fundamental rights of the asylum seekers, the right to apply for asylum and specific
01:03safeguards for the vulnerable ones.
01:05So this is a very strong legislation.
01:08And I think it's also important to remember that we have a strong support from the UN
01:12High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR, Philippe Grundy, and he was also out yesterday strongly
01:19welcoming the pact.
01:21The commissioner describes cooperation with Libya as difficult.
01:25Its coast guard is financed by the EU.
01:29It has a track record of rights violations.
01:32They are also the ones who have to do the search and rescue.
01:34But then we are criticizing what happened with people afterwards, because in these centers
01:40that they're usually being brought to, we know that their conditions are very dire,
01:45I should say unacceptable.
01:47And that's why we are calling on the Libyans to change this and to close these centers
01:52and to stop this arbitrary detention of migrants in these centers.
01:58Euronews will broadcast the entire interview with Europe's Home Affairs Commissioner over
02:02the weekend on the magazine program Global Conversation.