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Commissioner-designate for International Partnerships Jozef Síkela denounced Chinese and Russian “neocolonialism” and reiterated his commitment to a “whole-of-route approach” to combating irregular migration during his hearing at the European Parliament on Wednesday (6 November).
In a session that featured multiple questions from MEPs about Beijing and Moscow’s growing international influence, Síkela repeatedly emphasised the superiority of European development programmes compared to alternatives provided by other “assertive actors”.
“Our partners want to work more with Europe and we need to show them why Europe’s offer is unique, [one with] common values [that will lead to a] better future instead of a future with assertive actors lacking democratic values and regard for human rights,” he said.
“The neocolonialism is not coming from Europe – [these are] things which we experience from Chinese or Russian activities,” he added, in comments that were markedly more hawkish than his written remarks to MEPs last month.
The former Czech trade minister has been tasked with overseeing the EU’s “Global Gateway Initiative”: a €300 billion investment and infrastructure-building scheme which aims to act as a European alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
Síkela – a respected figure who won plaudits in Brussels for his handling of the energy crisis during Czechia’s Council Presidency in 2022 – also noted that the new “multipolar world” means that Europe must step up efforts to forge economic partnerships with third countries in order to guarantee access to critical raw materials.
He repeatedly warned that Chinese investment in the Democratic Republic of the Congo means that Beijing could control half of the world’s supply of cobalt – an element used to make lithium-ion batteries and other strategically key products – by 2030.
“We also need our partners in this multipolar world, as it is undergoing a fundamental economic transformation, requiring new raw materials abandoned in some countries,” he said.
“This makes these regions a focus for many global powers. Those who come with the best offer will gain an edge in achieving decarbonisation and sustainable goals, benefiting economically from this process.”
“Whole-of-route approach” to migration challenges
Without deviating much from his previous answers to the European Parliament, Síkela also addressed MEPs’ questions on the migration aspect of his portfolio.
Echoing his colleagues-to-be Internal Affairs and Migration Commissioner-designate Magnus Brunner, and Commissioner-designate for the Mediterranean Dubravka Šuica, Síkela mentioned the need for the EU to take a “whole-of-route approach for effective migration management”.
Transparency and human rights also featured prominently during the hearing.
The Commissioner-designate stressed that all policies must align with development goals, embed sustainability at their core, and uphold human rights.
Síkela highlighted development funding as a powerful tool to address migration at its roots, pointing to critical areas like climate, digitalisation, transport, education, health, and infrastructure, where the Global Gateway’s initiatives could play a pivotal role.
He addressed the importance of robust border management and dismantling smuggling networks at their source, noting that the priority must be to prevent people from risking their lives.
The “whole-of-route approach” vision, gained further clarity as MEPs pressed him on the link between development policies and migration prevention.
Síkela reiterated his commitment to this comprehensive strategy, pledging closer collaboration with transit countries to intercept and support migrants along their journeys.
“A whole-of-route approach means that we are not discussing just countries of origin but also those of transit,” he said.
In his closing remarks, Síkela pledged to take “immediate action” with his fellow commissioners to “address illegal migration, including the fight against migrant smugglers and traffickers, while at the same time investing in tackling the root causes to ensure that citizens in our partner countries have a future perspective in their own countries.”
Síkela candidacy was approved by the Parliament’s Committee on Development late on Wednesday evening, two people familiar with the matter told Euractiv.
Maria Simon Arboleas and Sofia Sanchez Manzanaro contributed reporting.
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