After long negotiations: EU decides on stricter asylum procedure

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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, a sufficient majority of member states voted in favor of comprehensive reform plans, as announced by the Swedish presidency. In particular, they provide for a much stricter treatment of migrants with no prospect of residence.

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 had to accept that it was 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.

States on the external border of the EU must be relieved

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.

Federal Councilor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider described the EU countries’ agreement on the migration and asylum pact on Thursday as a “historic step” following the meeting of EU interior ministers in Luxembourg. An agreement was urgently needed, she said.

According to Baume-Schneider, the Dublin system would not have lasted much longer in the current situation. Switzerland is co-involved in the EU’s migration and asylum policy through the Dublin Convention.

Switzerland is also participating

The Dublin system stipulates that the state where asylum seekers first arrive should take care of them. For the Mediterranean countries such as Greece, Italy, Spain, Malta and Cyprus, this became a major burden given the high number of refugees and migrants.

Thanks to the compromise, the Dublin system is now strengthened, the federal councilor told media. Switzerland will also participate accordingly. Baume-Scheider said she had also participated in the solidarity mechanism in the past, which was not mandatory for her.

People from Tunisia, Egypt and Bangladesh are often rejected

Countries such as Italy, for example, could benefit from the duty of solidarity. More than 50,000 migrants have been registered in Italy this year as coming through the Mediterranean, 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/jwg)

Source: Blick