EU countries yesterday were expected to approve a significant tightening of Europe’s immigration policy, including endorsing the concept of setting up “return hubs” for migrants outside the 27-nation bloc.
Fearful of far-right parties making gains at the ballot box, governments across Europe are scrambling to take a tougher stance. Interior ministers meeting in Brussels were to vote for the first time on a series of measures presented this year by the bloc’s executive to more strictly regulate the arrival and return of migrants.
If adopted, these measures would notably allow the opening of centers outside the EU’s borders, to which migrants whose asylum applications have been rejected would be sent, or the so-called “return hubs”; harsher penalties for migrants who refuse to leave European territory, including through longer periods of detention; and returning migrants to countries that are not their country of origin, but which Europe considers “safe.”
Photo: EPA
A decline in irregular entries to Europe — down by about 20 percent so far this year compared with last year — has not eased the pressure to act on the politically explosive issue.
The latest proposals come just a few months after the EU adopted a mammoth new migration law that is to come into effect in June next year.
“We have to speed up to give the people the feeling that we have control over what is happening,” European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner said.
The new initiatives have caused consternation among activists working with migrants.
“Instead of investing in safety, protection, and inclusion, the EU is choosing policies that will push more people into danger and legal limbo,” Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants advocacy officer Silvia Carta said.
Under the impetus of Denmark, which holds the EU’s rotating presidency and has long advocated for these measures, member states are moving forward at a rapid pace.
However, some in the bloc remain sceptical.
France is questioning the legality and effectiveness of some of the proposals, while Spain is not convinced that “return hubs” work after several unsuccessful trials by other countries.
They likely also discussed the distribution of at least 30,000 asylum seekers under the recent legal changes.
That move is part of a new “solidarity” system to help relieve pressure on countries that see large numbers of arrivals, such as Greece and Italy.
Other EU countries are expected to accept asylum seekers or to contribute 20,000 euros (US$23,304) per person to the countries under pressure.
However, with governments across the bloc being urged to tighten immigration policies, putting a hand up to take in extra asylum seekers is fraught with political risk.
The EU is nevertheless under pressure to hammer out a compromise on resettlement, with the clock ticking to come up with a final decision by the end of the year.
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