build a common european asylum system. and the parliament and the council have neglected this legislation, piece by piece, and the last piece of legislation enter in to force just in july 2015. two months ago. because we now have common standards for the way we receive asylum seekers in respect of their dignity, for the way we process their asylum applications, and we have common criteria which our independent justice system uses to determine whether someone is entitled to international protection. but these standards, members of parliament, these standards need to be immaterial poligh implemed respected everywhere in the

european practice. this is clearly not a case before the summer, not after the summer, before the summer, that the commission started the first serious of 32 infringement proceedings to reminds member states of what they had previously agreed to do. doesn't matter -- there is a matter of credibility. we are doing -- we are legislating and we are not implementing. it's a matter of credibility that member states are implementing and respecting commonly agreed in the national -- international and european laws. [applause] >> the second series of infringement proceedings will follow in the days to come. common asylum standards are important. but they are not enough to cope with the current refugees

crisis. the commission, the parliament, the council said in the spring that we need a comprehensive european agenda on migration. we propose this as a commission in may, and it would be unfair to say that nothing has happened since then. we have tripled our presence at sea. 122,000 lives have been saved since then. every life loss is one -- every life lost is one too many. it's one too many. but many more have been rescued that would have been lost otherwise. an increase of 250%. we should be proud of that performance. [applause] 29 member states

countries are participating in the joint operations in italy with. [ inaudible ] 102 guest officers from 20 countries, 31 ships, three helicopters, four aircraft, eight petrol cars, six vehicles and four transport. [ inaudible ] this is the first measure of european solidarity in action even though more will have to be done. we have doubled our efforts to tackle smugglers and to dismantle human traffickers group. ships -- cheap ships are harder to come back leading to less people putting themselves in unseaworthy boats. as a result, the central military has stabilized around

115,000s arriving during the month of august. the same, the same as last year. we now need to achieve a similar stabilization of the balkan woods which has clearly been neglected by all policy makers. european union is also the number one donor in the global efforts to alleviate the syrian refugees crisis, around 4 billion euros have been mobilized by the european commission, that means by you too, and number states in humanitarian development, economic and stabilization assistance to syrians in their countries are you and to the refugees and their host communities in make lebanon, your don, iraq, turkey and egypt. indeed, just today we launched

two new projects to provide schooling and full security to 240,000 syrian refugees in turkey. and by the way, and by the way, i would like to applaud the efforts of jordan, of turkey, and even lebanon. [applause] >> these country rips, by far poorer we are, they are making efforts we should applaud to and we should recognize and in moral and in financial terms. we have collectively committed to vettelling over 22,000 people from outside of europe over the next year. showing solidarity with our neighbors.

of course this remains very modest. too modest by comparison to the efforts undertaken by turkey, jordan, lebanon, who are hosting over 4 million syrian refugees. but i am encouraged that some member states are showing now their willingness to significantly step up our european resettlementest. this will allow us to have resettlement efforts more systematically it has to be done and it will be done, europe has clearly under delivered its uncommon solidarity with regard to the refugees who have arrived on our territory. to me it's clear that the member states where most refugees have first arrived.

at the moment this is italy, greece, hungary, cannot be left alone to cope with this enormous challenge. [applause] this is why the commission already proposed an emergency mechanism in may. not now, back in may. to relocate initially 40,000 people seeking international protection from italy and greece. and this is why today we are proposing a second emergency mechanism to allocate the further 120,000 people from italy, greece and hungary, this has to be done in a fulls are you way. -- compulsory way. >> i call on member states to

adopt the commission proposals on the emergency relocation of altogether 160,000 refugees at the council of interior ministers on the 14 of september. i am not talking about 40,000, it's 160,000. that's the number. europeans have to take in charge and have to take in their arms. and i really hope that this time everyone will be on board. no poems, no rhetorics, action is what is needed for the time being. [applause] >> what is happening to human beings, we are talking about beings, not numbers. human beings coming from syria and libya today could easily be

the case in ukraine tomorrow. are we making selections, are we distinguishing between christians, jews, muslims? this continent has made the clearance to distinguish on the basis of religious criteria. there was no religion, no belief no. philosophy when it comes to refugees and to those we are true. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, winter is approaching. do we really want to have families sleeping in railway stations in budapest and

elsewhere in tents, cold tents during the night on floors, in kos? we are in charge of the winter period for those who have to flee their countries for the reasons i have mentioned. of course relocation alone will not solve the issue you. it is true that we also need to settle those that are in need of international protection and very likely to apply to asylum successfully. and those leaching their doesn't are you for other reasons which do not fall under the right of asylum. this is why to the the commissioning is proposing a common e.u. list of safe countries of origin. this list will enable member states to pass asylum procedures

for nationals and countries that are presumed to live in -- to live safe in. the presumption of safety must in all of you certainly apply to all count are yous with european council, unanimously decided to meet the basic copenhagen criteria for e.u. membership notably as regards the rule of law and fundamental rights. it should also apply to other potential can can't country on his the western balkans in view of their progress maids toward can't day status. of course i am aware of that the list of safe countries is only a procedural, a procedural simplification. it cannot take away, and i would act strongly against that, the funds. of right of asylum -- for asylum

seekers coming from al pena, bosnia and herzegovina, the former yugoslav republic of macedon, a montes kneeing rah, burby a and turkey. but it allows national authorities to focus on those refugees which are much more likely to be granted asylum, notably those from sear i can't. and this focus is very much needed in the current situation, a list of safe countries is not taking a away asylum rights from those people coming from those countries being listed. that's important. that's important. we are not neutralizing the geneva convention. asylum is a right. [applause] >> and the countries being on

the list of save countries have to know that they are taking off of this list, because fundamental rights would not be assured in these countries. they are losing chair chance to join the european union. these two things are going together. safe list, yes. but -- [applause] >> but it is time we have a more fundamental change in the way that we deal with asylum applications, and notably the dublin system, that requires that asylum applications be dealt with by the first country of entry. we need more europe in our asylum policy. we neidermayer a your in our ref sigh policy. it requires solidarity to be

permanently anchored in our policy approach and our rules, this is why today we proceeds posing a permanent location mechanism with a permanent relocation mechanism which will allow us to deal with crisis situations more swiftly in the future. more swiftly in the future that means more swiftly than in the past. a common refugees and asylum policy requires further. [ inaudible ] of asylum policies after refugees status is granted. member states need to take a second look at their support i want great and inclusion policies. the commission is ready to look in to how you can support these efforts. and i am strongly in favor, i am strong are you li istrongly in g

asylum seekers to work and to earn their own money whilst their applications are being processed. [applause] >> labor, work, getting a nobody is another indignity, those who are working are finding back the dignity that they had before they were leaving and so we should do everything to change our national legislation in order to allow refugees, migrants to work since day one of their arrival in europe. .united refugees and asylum policy also requires stronger joint efforts to secure our external borders, fortunately in european union we have given up border controls between member

states of the. [ inaudible ] area. to guarantee free movement of people a unique symbol of european integrate and this system will not be a polished you were the man -- abolished under the mandate of this commission. [applause] >> but the other side of the coin of free movement is that we must work together more closely to manage the external borders. this is is what our citizens do expect. the commission said it back in may, and i said it during the elections campaign together with martin, together with -- >> no, no, no, i am not pointing at mrs. cereal, but cereal, but

thinking mrs. tsipras, but i am not confusing the two. we need tol to -- [ inaudible ] [speaking foreign [speaking foreign language] >> sorry. we need to strengthen is significantly and develop it in to a fully operational european border and coast guard system. that is certainly feasible, but it will cost money, the commission believes this is money well invested. this is why we propose ambitious steps forward to a european border and coast guard before the end of this year. a truly united european migration policy also means that we need to look until to opening

legal channels for migration. [applause] >> but let us be clear, this will not help until addressing the refugees crisis we are currently in. but there are more safe controlled quotes open to europe, we can manage migration better and make the illegal work of human traffickers less attractive. let us not forget we are an aging continent in demographic design. we will be needing talent coming from everywhere in the world. overtime, migration must change from a problem to be tackled to a well managed resource.

to this end the commission will come forward with a well did he signed legal migration package in early 2016. this is highly important. migration has to be legalized. it's not sufficient to protest illegal immigration, we have to organize legal ways to europe. [applause] >> a lasting solution will only come if we address the root causes, the reasons why we are facing this important refugees crisis. our european policy must be more assertive, foreign poll at this must be more assertive. we are no longer ignore with regard to raw orin stability in

our neighborhood. we have to find a solution. thing make that we are too week to achieve this to the libyan problem. we have to address in a more seclusion oriented way to the sear yearn crisis, i call to deposit natural i can offense, and european diplomatic offensive to address the crisis in syria and libya. we need a stronger europe which it comes to foreign policy. i am very glad freed ridiculous a, our highly determined high representative, she's high because she's highly determined

hats prepared the ground for diplomatic success. [applause] >> she has prepared to go on with such initiative with diplomatic success in the iran nuclear talks and i would i would like to congratulate frederica for that extraordinary performance. in order to facilitate the work of our high representative frederica, the commission today is proposing to establish an emergency trust fund starting with 1.8 billion euros from our common financial means to address the crisis in the. [ inaudible ] regions of africa and the north of africa.

we want to help create lasting instability by creating employment of local communities and address the root causes of destabilization, forced displacement and illegal immigration. expect all, all you member states to pitch in and afternoon our ambitions, we need this emergency trust fund in order to prehaven't future crisis. [applause] >> and we need higher development at budgets. i don't like this. [ inaudible ] development corporation budgets. it's abnormal that member states of the european union are reducing their efforts when two comes to aid development. they have to be increased. [applause]

>> i do not want to recruit any illusion that the refugees crisis will be over any time soon it. will not and we have to know that. but pushing back boats from pears, setting fire to refugees camps or turning a blind a aye to poor and help the people, that is not europe. [applause] >> europe, that's the baker in kos who gives away his. [ inaudible ] to hungry. [ inaudible ] europe is the students in munich who have been close for the new arrivals at the training station. europe, that's those standing at the munich rail station

applauding and welcoming refugees. [applause] >> the europe i want to live in is illustrated by those that are helping of the europe i don't want to live in is a europe refusing those who are in need. the crisis is stark. and the journey, of course, is still long. i am counting on you in this house, the house of the european democracy, and all member states to show european courage going forward in line with our common values and history.

mr. president,. [speaking foreign language] >> translator: dear friends, as many of you are, i realize that i have already exceeded the speaking time which would normally be allocate today me for my state of the union address and as has formally been the case for a president in office in commission, but i do need to take some time given the situation to talk about a number of other issues, first of all greece, which is very close to my heart. we have had very serious debates about the greek crisis it's a did he participate that affects us all. it's been a difficult debate and i endeavored at great length to explain to the president of greece that we were democratic countries dealing on a democratic basis. and here you are members of

parliament and par los angeles men terrien subscribed to the prince approximately of parliamentary democracy. which is part of the 18 other countries that form the eurozone, so i had serious discussions about this with the former prime shi minister. the commission has been the victim of attacks from certain member states who felt that they were not necessarily able to accept the proposals. aimed at finding a solution to the greek crisis. i said then and i reiterate here today, as i said before, that the commission has a weighty duty and one of them is to be the cuss teed vinnie of the general interest. the commission had to deal with the greek issue because failing to do this would have been a great weakness on our part and

it would have been a failure on the part of the commission and dereliction of eights duty. therefore we did what we felt was right and we felt was our duty. and in that context obviously we have been subject to criticism from various quarters. but i felt that it was important -- okay, we are going to leave jean-claude younger there president of the e.u. commission as he addresses the european parliament. he has made an extraordinary speech to the parliament regarding the refugees crisis. we are going to keep you covered on all the issues that he has brought up. we'll discuss them and take apart some of the issues that he has specific pointed to. it's a number of 160,000 refugees that he says have arrived to seek asylum and hospitality within europe. we are going to as i say bring you lots more on that and of course the rest of the day's news so do stay with us.

160,000 refugees. australia says it will vettel thousands of refugees from the middle east and launch air strikes against isil in syria. ♪ ♪ hello i am martin defense, you are with al jazeera live on the program. the u.s. president gets the support he needs to block republican opposition to