European Union officials expressed optimism on Thursday about the possibility of the bloc reaching an agreement on reforming immigration policy, after Germany confirmed its support for it.
European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson said after a meeting of EU interior ministers that there were no “major obstacles” on this thorny issue, and that a formal agreement would be reached “within days.”
Johansson added in a press conference in Brussels that the EU countries received more than a quarter of a million people this year, most of whom arrived on the Italian island of Lampedusa, and that the number of asylum requests currently exceeded 600,000, and there is pressure on many EU countries to deal with the issue.
The reform, which was proposed three years ago, aims to share the burden of caring for immigrants with European Union countries, either by receiving some immigrants coming, especially from Italy or Greece, or by contributing financially to support the countries that do so.
At the same time, the European Union will seek to speed up the processing of asylum applications so that migrants deemed inadmissible can be returned to their countries of origin or transit, and the maximum detention periods for migrants at border centers will be lengthened, which currently stands at 12 weeks.
German Interior Minister Nancy Weiser said that her country had obtained concessions that would allow it to support the agreement, after it had refrained from supporting a previous draft that it considered too harsh for some categories of immigrants.
She added that only Poland and Hungary expressed their opposition to the new draft at the Brussels meeting, “so we assume that this political agreement is acceptable,” as she put it.
Weser explained that the changes introduced to obtain Germany’s approval included an emphasis on giving priority to families and children when they arrive illegally on the territory of the European Union and not tightening the criteria for accepting asylum seekers.
German Interior Minister Nancy Weiser confirmed that her country had obtained concessions to support the new agreement (Getty)
“end line”
For his part, Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said that the EU countries need to agree on a migration pact, and he expected an agreement to be reached soon.
Speaking after chairing the Brussels meeting, Grande-Marlaska confirmed that “a very broad majority of member states” agreed to the new version of the text, and added, “We have almost reached the finish line,” while acknowledging the need to overcome existing “minor differences.”
For his part, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tayani said in Berlin that his country needs more time to study the new draft.
The paralysis in the file has sparked dissatisfaction in the bloc, which consists of 27 countries, as it faces an increase in irregular migration. The need to review the existing migration and asylum agreement has become more urgent with the arrival of thousands of asylum seekers to the Italian island of Lampedusa.
The arrival of thousands of asylum seekers from Africa in Lampedusa has stimulated an urgent need to revise existing policy.
Approval of the agreement between the member states of the European Union requires a strong majority of countries to vote in favor of it, which means that the countries that oppose the hosting or financial support clause – Poland, Hungary, Austria and the Czech Republic – will likely not have enough weight to obstruct it.
Ukrainian refugees received an extension of temporary protection status in Europe (Getty)
Ukrainian refugees
In a related context, the European Council agreed to extend the temporary protection status of Ukrainian refugees who fled the war in their country from March of next year to March of 2025.
The Spanish Interior Minister, whose country currently chairs the Union, said that support for the Ukrainian people will continue as long as it takes, adding that extending the protected status guarantees stability for millions who have found a safe haven in the European Union.
It is noteworthy that the number of Ukrainian refugees benefiting from this situation is more than 4 million refugees who fled from their country to the European Union countries following the outbreak of Russia’s war with Ukraine in February 2022.
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2023-09-28 20:59:34
