Remarks by President Donald Tusk ahead of the G20 summit in Antalya
We are all shocked by the attacks in Paris, so excuse me if I repeat some messages but I want to be clear. This cannot be just another summit.
Friday night in Paris the peoples of the free world were attacked by terrorists. We all expressed our solidarity but words are not enough. Today, it is time to act. I have spoken to President Hollande who was clear that France expects deeds. We therefore call on all G20 leaders to show full determination in our fight against terror.
Here at the G20 we have a special responsibility. There is no better forum in which to address terrorist financing. Terror networks cannot plan or operate without the money that moves through the financial systems of many countries. Only if we fully cooperate on exchange of information about suspicious transactions, will we be able to stop this threat effectively.
Fighting terrorism is not only about stopping the financial flows. It is also about operations on the ground, such as in Syria. If we are to be honest we need to state one thing clearly. It was not the moderate Syrian opposition that carried out the attacks in Paris. It was the so-called Islamic State or Da’esh. I will appeal to every one of the G20 leaders to concentrate their actions on Da’esh. They are the real enemy of the free world, not the moderate Syrian opposition.
We are also in the midst of a refugee crisis with millions of people running from their homes, escaping terrorists and brutal regimes. Today it is high time to recognise that it is a global crisis, which requires a global solution. We therefore call on the G20 leaders to develop a coordinated response, both to the short term needs and the root causes. We do not ask our partners to do more than Europe does but we ask the international community not to do less. All G20 countries should share the responsibilities associated with this crisis. Solidarity should be at the core of our decisions.
Finally, let me appeal to all world leaders that we meet in Paris for the COP 21 Climate Conference. We must demonstrate that the world is united in our fight against climate change but also show solidarity against terrorism. Our presence in Paris should be a sign that the world is not intimidated. Here I call on all world leaders with no exception. Thank you.
Transcript of Press Conference – G20 Summit in Antalya
Jean-Claude Juncker – President of the European Commission
Les circonstances qui sont les nôtres m’amènent à dire un mot au sujet des attentats qui ont été perpétrés à Paris : je voudrais dire et redire que tous les pays membres de l’Union européenne ainsi que toutes les institutions sont directement concernés par les événements parisiens. Ce n’est pas seulement une attaque contre la France. Ce n’est pas seulement une attaque contre les Parisiens. C’est une attaque contre les valeurs universelles qui sont les nôtres.
Je lis ici et là, j’entends ici et là que la vraie explication des événements qui ont eu lieu à Paris serait due au fait que l’Europe est un continent aux frontières ouvertes, un continent qui fait preuve d’une certaine générosité lorsqu’il s’agit de traiter la crise des réfugiés: telle n’est pas mon analyse. Ma conviction est exactement à l’opposé de celles et de ceux qui croient que l’explication à la base des attentats serait le modèle européen. Il faut voir que ceux qui ont organisé ces attentats et que ceux qui les ont perpétrés sont exactement ceux que les réfugiés fuient et non pas l’inverse. Et par conséquent il n’y a pas lieu de revoir dans son ensemble la politique européenne relative aux réfugiés.
In fact worldwide displacement is the highest level ever recorded. Just think that one in every 122 individuals is now either a refugee, an internally displaced person or an asylum seeker. One in every 122. If that were a country it would be the 24th largest country in the world. This is a global problem and this global problem is inviting us to give a global and common answer. We have to tackle the roots of the refugee crisis. And in that respect we are unhappy about the fact that funding from countries around the world to international organisations
We have to discuss during the G20 meeting taking place here in Antalya several issues we discussed back in Brisbane in November last year. This is mainly tax policy where we do think that progress has to be made urgently as we are trying to do it in the European Union. And as far as climate change is concerned this Summit must set the tone for Paris, an ambitious tone both for the global climate deal and for its follow up. We do think at the level of the European Union that the system we have to agree upon in Paris has to be a legally-binding one and we’ll try to move things in that direction. Thank you.
Questions and Answers
Journaliste: Plusieurs pays ont déjà rétabli les contrôles aux frontières. Les autorités grecques affirment qu’un des terroristes était passé par l’île de Leros et qu’il est passé comme un réfugié. Pensez-vous que l’espace Schengen pourra survivre après les attaques de Paris?
Le Président Juncker: Schengen est en danger non pas à cause des événements récents mais par ce que le contrôle aux frontières extérieures ne fonctionne pas ou fonctionne d’une façon très peu satisfaisante. L’accent doit donc être mis sur le renforcement de la protection aux frontières extérieures. Je ne connais pas en détail l’élément auquel vous faites référence mais je ne crois pas que la personne en question puisse être catégorisée comme étant un réfugié ou un demandeur d’asile. Je crois que dans son cas, il s’agit d’un migrant qui a abusé des procédures. Ne confondons pas les auteurs des actes criminels à Paris avec les demandeurs d’asile, avec les migrants qui ont des bonnes raisons pour frapper à nos portes ; et ne confondons pas ceux qui ont commis ces atrocités avec ceux qui fuient devant la philosophie et la mentalité qui inspirent les actes que malheureusement nous avons observés à Paris.
Pour le reste, les mesures qui ont été mises en place en Europe jusqu’à ce jour sont conformes aux règlements qui encadrent les accords de Schengen. La décision du Président français de réintroduire pour un certain temps les contrôles aux frontières est expressément prévue dans les accords de Schengen, afin d’apporter une réponse à l’endroit des événements de ce type.
Journalist: On the question of my predecessor: there are already statements from top officials in Poland and Slovakia after the Paris attacks, pouring cold water on the migration plan agreed by leaders. What effect do you see of the Paris attacks on the relocation plan for migrants?
President Juncker: I try to make it crystal clear that we should not mix the different categories of people coming to Europe. The one who is responsible for the attacks in Paris cannot be put on an equal footing with real refugees, with asylum seekers and with displaced people. These are criminals and not refugees or asylum seekers. I would like to invite those in Europe who are trying to change the migration agenda we have adopted –I would like to invite them to be serious about this and not to give in to these basic reactions. I don’t like it.
As far as the new Polish government is concerned, I haven’t had any opportunity whatsoever to discuss this issue with our new Polish colleague. When the Polish government will be in function in the full-fledged term of the word, we will discuss this with the new authorities in Warsaw; but as far as I’m concerned, I do see the difficulty but I don’t see the need to change our general approach.
Journalist: From the European level, are you satisfied with the cooperation between Turkey and Greece on dealing with the crisis of the arrival of the refugees – if there is any cooperation. And from your level: what more can be done?
President Juncker: We are in talks and negotiations with our Turkish partner. We basically did agree on a joint action plan with Turkey. We’ll have – President Tusk and me – another meeting with President Erdoğan. The first one we had on 5 October in Brussels.
I asked Vice-President Timmermans to travel to Ankara last week. He came back with good news but we have to finalise this in our meeting with President Erdoğan. This meeting takes place tomorrow.
President Tusk will convene an extra summit between Turkey and the 28 Member States and this will be the very moment when these negotiations will be brought to an end.
