Agreement of EU states: Asylum procedures must be tightened Attacks Ukraine: “There hasn’t been such a movement at the front for a long time”

Asylum procedures in the EU are being tightened considerably in view of the problems with illegal migration. At a meeting of interior ministers in Luxembourg on Thursday, after hours of negotiations, a large enough majority of member states voted in favor of comprehensive reform plans, as announced by the EU’s presidency of the Council. (sda/dpa)

In the future, people coming from countries considered safe should end up in tightly controlled reception facilities after crossing the border under conditions similar to detention. There, it is normally examined within twelve weeks whether the asylum seeker has a chance of being granted asylum. If not, it must be returned immediately.

During the negotiations, the German federal government had explicitly advocated exempting families with children from the so-called border procedures. However, in order for the breakthrough to happen, she eventually had to accept that it could be possible. However, Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser said at the meeting that the federal government will continue to work to ensure that all children’s rights are guaranteed.

It is also conceivable that the EU Parliament will push through changes. It has a say in the reform and will negotiate the project with representatives of the EU countries in the coming months.

In addition to the tightened asylum procedures, the plans decided on Thursday also provide more solidarity with the heavily burdened member states at the external borders of the EU. In the future, it should no longer be voluntary, but mandatory. Countries that do not want to take in refugees should pay compensation. Countries such as Hungary therefore voted against the plan.

Countries such as Italy, for example, could benefit from the duty of solidarity. More than 50,000 migrants have been registered in Italy to have crossed the Mediterranean this year, according to the UN refugee agency. Most of them came from Tunisia, Egypt and Bangladesh and therefore had almost no prospect of a legal stay.

The ongoing negotiations with the EU Parliament should ideally be concluded before the end of the year. Then the laws could be passed before the European elections in June 2024. If that does not work, the changed political balance of power may necessitate renegotiation. (sda/dpa)