1. INTRODUCTION
The challenges of the refugee and migration crisis required a determined and comprehensive response from the EU: saving lives, reducing the number of irregular arrivals, developing new tools to deliver together on challenges both inside and outside the EU. The same will be true as we build a future -proof system for the coming years. In the European Agenda on Migration, the Commission set out the key steps. As a result, the EU is now better equipped than ever before. However, t his does not mean that our work is over. The crisis exposed weaknesses – the current EU asylum rules meant varying treatment of asylum seekers across the EU and encouraged movements from one Member State to another. Arrivals are now at a lower level than b efore the crisis but structural migration pressure remains strong: we have a window of opportunity to fix the weaknesses, and build a system that can withstand future crises. This means moving from ad hoc responses to durable solutions. This means proactive measures, to disrupt smugglers' business models, to secure our external borders, to make key processes like asylum and return work well, to enhance legal pathways and to address the underlying reasons for migration.
The crisis confirmed that all EU action is interconnected – all the pieces have to fit together for the system as a whole to function. This Communication looks at the three core components of the comprehensive approach to migration management:
• action with partners outside the Union;
• action at our external borders;
• action inside the Union.
Externally we need to continue working with partners: to tackle the root causes of irregular migration; to cooperate on improved migration management and combatting migrant smuggling; to ensure that people who have no right to stay in the EU can be returned; to show that there are alternatives to irregular migration in the form of legal pathways; and to address the specific needs of those displaced by conflict and persecution. A strong external border needs to deliver a consistent, reliable level of control and security through a high level of coordination and constant monitoring to identify and address weaknesses. These goals then need to be complemented by a coherent and humane approach inside the Union, w ith Member States' asylum and return procedures working to reinforce each other, with a determined effort against criminal networks, and with a fair and consistent EU framework based on solidarity and responsibility.
This Communication sets out where we st and and the next steps for these interlinked objectives. These work streams should be equal to the long-term challenge of managing the migration trends of the future. There is action that we can and should take now. Different EU tools which have delivered real results in the Central Mediterranean could be rolled out on other routes. Putting the next stage of the European Border and Coast Guard in place would bring about a step change in the readiness of our border capabilities. Adopting measures now to tack le the most obvious shortcomings in our asylum, reception and return systems would bring immediate benefits in terms of our ability to deliver effectively.
Time and again, the EU has proven to be able to meet new migration challenges as they have arisen. B ut we have not yet built a sustainable system capable of preventing and mitigating future challenges. It is time we switched from being reactive to being proactive. Whenever we have worked together, we have obtained results. This should be at the forefront of our minds as we work for a future where the EU and its Member States deliver the solidarity and consistency Europeans deserve.