ECR Group President Marco Marsilio stressed the importance of funding for strategic partnerships with North African countries in line with the request of the Italian government, as well as the strengthening of border protection measures at the 156th CoR Plenary debate of the mid-term revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework.

Expressing the ECR Group's condemnation, President of the Abruzzo Region denounced the recent incidents of violence and vandalism in France. He attributed these events to the failure of EU migration policy and extended his full support to public authorities "working tirelessly to restore law and order" in affected regions.

Concerning the importance of protecting Europe's external borders, the President urged the European Union to increase funding directed toward this objective, pointing out that "Member States guarding Europe's borders expect adequate support for their significant and ongoing efforts", adding that while they are "ready to shelter those who are actually fleeing conflict" we cannot assume that they can accommodate all economic migrants who arrive illegally on Europe's shores.

The President also pointed out the need to combat human trafficking in the context of illegal immigration. "I welcome the proposal in the revision of the European Union's Multiannual Financial Framework to fund partnerships with North African countries using adequate resources, as these will be crucial to stopping human traffickers and ending illegal immigration flows once and for all" - he concluded.