ec.europa.eu| 20 October 2021|
Commissioner Johansson's speech at the Plenary debate on pushbacks at the EU external border
Dear President,
Honourable Members of the European Parliament,
Dear Minister Anže Logar,
Two weeks ago, investigative journalists from Lighthouse Reports published allegations of violent pushbacks at our EU borders.
You called for this debate in response to those reports. And I thank you for that.
This is not the first time we get such reports. The Commission has received numerous allegations of pushbacks. Including from the UNHCR.
Violence at our borders is never acceptable. Especially if it is structural and organised.
We must protect our EU external borders, while upholding fundamental rights. And it’s possible to do both.
The very next day after media published these reports, I raised them at the Justice and Home Affairs Council on 7 October.