The historic agreement for refugees was achieved after 3 years of negotiations in the bloc
A key deal on a common EU migration policy that makes it easier to deport asylum seekers and tighten entry into the bloc has been agreed by member states. This came after grueling tripartite negotiations between the EC, the EP and the Council of the EU, which began on Monday and did not end until Wednesday morning.
The progress ends a three-year stalemate in which MEPs failed to agree on asylum and migration. EP President Roberta Mezzola hailed the deal as historic.
Five pieces of legislation were agreed, united in the so-called Asylum and Migration Pact. Its aim is for all member states, regardless of their location and economy, to distribute legally resident migrants. This is expected to relieve frontline countries such as Italy, Greece and Spain, which host the majority of refugee arrivals. If a country refuses to accept migrants approved for asylum, it will
has to pay compensation
to the one who accommodated them. According to data from the EU border agency Frontex, over 1 million people arrived in the bloc without documents this year – the largest number since 2015. Also in 2022, nearly 1 million people applied for asylum.
The new regulations affect all stages of the processing and management of third-country arrivals – from the screening of irregular migrants on arrival, the taking of biometric data, the procedures for submitting and processing asylum applications, the rules for determining which country will be responsible for processing of the application to dealing with crisis situations.
The new pact on migration and asylum was first unveiled in September 2020. It aimed to end decades of uncoordinated governance, where governments took unilateral measures to contain the surge in migrants.
Opinions on the subject differ, but compromises have been reached. The agreement reached is preliminary. It is due to be formally ratified in the spring, before the European elections.
The Council, under the auspices of the Spanish Presidency, defended a firm position. He demanded that member states act freely on the issue of migration. Spain supported extending the proposed fast-track asylum procedure to as many applicants as possible, while the EP insisted on respecting basic human rights. EC gave guidelines.
In some cases, MEPs’ differences were deep, but in the end they achieved an unexpected breakthrough. The bloc will thus be able to push through five pieces of legislation that redefine the rules for the collective reception, management and relocation of illegally arriving migrants.
“Migration is a European challenge that requires European solutions,” said EC chief Ursula von der Leyen, welcoming the deal. And added:
“The Europeans they will decide who to come to the EU and who will stay
not the smugglers. It means protecting the needy”.
However, not everyone was satisfied with the shared responsibility. Hungarian Interior Minister Peter Szijjártó said that his country categorically rejects the migration pact. “We will not release anyone against our will, no one from Brussels or anywhere else can tell us who we can release,” he declared. Human rights organizations and migrant advocacy groups have also warned of the implications of the deal. More than 50 non-profit organizations said that after so many years of debate on the subject, the EU has finally slammed the door on people in need and put their lives at risk.
Against this background, another unexpected decision was announced on Wednesday – despite Emmanuel Macron’s favorable attitude to the accommodation of refugees, the French parliament passed legislation tightening immigration policy. This is a big blow for the president and shows the rise of center-right power in yet another European country.
2023-12-20 18:49:00
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