site.btaIf Refugees Are Integrated in European Society, They Can Boost Economic Growth - EU Employment Commissioner

If Refugees Are Integrated in European Society, They Can Boost Economic Growth - EU Employment Commissioner

Sofia, December 4 (BTA) - The EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility, Marianne Thyssen, told journalists that if refugees are properly integrated in European society, they can boost economic growth and job creation.

Thyssen and Deputy Prime Minister and Labour and Social Policy Minister Ivailo Kalfin participated in the 5th Labour and Employment Ministers' Conference of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), "Towards Sustainable Social Development in Asia and Europe: A Joint Vision for Decent Work and Social Protection".

Commissioner Thyssen said the EU Member States have an international commitment to provide asylum to the refugees entitled to international protection. She recalled that at least 20 per cent of the budget of the European Social Fund is intended to provide opportunities and solve problems with the refugees' social inclusion. Besides, the EU Member States have a common obligation - nine months after applying for refugee status, a person can request to be included in the labour market.

Kalfin said EU policy should match the realities. He stressed the Bulgarian position reflects the fact that Europe will meet its commitment to take in people fleeing war with their families, but would find it hard now to throw open its doors to economic migrants.

He said the EU should do its best to stop the migrant wave from entering European territory so as to avoid a crisis situation. Refugees should be helped "at a maximum distance so they are not targeted by traffickers and do not risk their life and pay thousands of dollars to reach Europe". There are ways for Europe
to help war refugees, making it possible for them to wait for things to get back to normal, said Kalfin.

The EU has strict financial frameworks and cannot afford to increase expenditure on security by reducing the social and structural funds, said Commissioner Thyssen. She was asked if the EU's plans to increase security spending would affect the European Social Fund and Operational Programme Human Resources
Development.

Kalfin said that a unanimous decision is needed if the seven-year financial framework is to be changed, including the national packages, which are financed from the European SocialFund and the Cohesion Fund among others. In 2016 the European Commission will launch a mid-term review of the multiannual
financial framework and will identify the main challenges. This review will show that the EU's budget is unable to cope with theemerging challenges. Clearly, this EU budget cannot deal with
the challenges without larger spending by the EU Member States,said Kalfin. He noted that one million refugees is not that high of a number given Europe's population of 500 million. If these are the people who need to be helped, then there would not be a budget or social problem, however. It must be clear, however, to what extent, how much and who exactly is being helped in this process.