- As election campaigns across Europe intensify, European Union countries have backed major reforms to the region’s asylum system.
- EU government ministers have approved 10 legislative parts of the new Migration and Asylum Pact.
- Hungary and Poland voted against the package, but were unable to block it.
European Union countries on Tuesday backed sweeping reforms to the EU’s broken asylum system, as campaigning for next month’s pan-European elections is in full swing and immigration is expected to be a key issue.
EU government ministers have approved 10 legislative parts of the new Migration and Asylum Pact. This is a guide for 27 member states to deal with people who try to enter the country without authorization, from vetting methods to see if they are entitled to protection, to deportation if they are not allowed to stay. It establishes the rules for
Hungary and Poland, which have long opposed forcing countries to accept immigrants and pay for their upkeep, voted against the policy but were unable to block it.
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Mainstream political parties believe the deal will resolve issues that have divided member states since 2015, when well over a million migrants flooded into Europe. Most are fleeing wars in Syria and Iraq. They hope the system will starve the far-right of oxygen to win votes in the June 6-9 elections.
On October 18, 2021, about 55 miles from Libya, migrants in a rubber dinghy fall into the ocean and are rescued by the SeaWatch 3 team. Immigration is expected to be a key issue on Tuesday as campaigning for next month’s elections across Europe gets into full swing. (AP Photo/Valeria Mongelli, File)
But the major reform package, which is only due to come into force in 2026, will not bring an immediate solution to the problem that is causing one of the EU’s biggest political crises: who should be held accountable when migrants arrive. Opinions among countries are divided over whether other countries should also have obligations. in order to help.
Critics say the deal would allow countries to detain migrants at borders and fingerprint children. They say this is aimed at keeping people out and violates their right to seek asylum. Many fear this will lead to further unscrupulous trade with poorer countries where people leave or cross to go to Europe.
Why do we need new rules?
Europe’s asylum law has not been updated for about 20 years. The system frayed and collapsed in 2015. The system was based on the premise that immigrants should be processed in the country of first entry and given asylum or deported. Greece, Italy and Malta were left to shoulder most of the financial burden and address public grievances. Since then, the ID-free zone known as the Schengen Area has expanded to 27 countries, 23 of which are EU member states. This means more than 400 million Europeans and visitors, including refugees, will be able to travel without presenting travel documents.
Who does the rule apply to?
In 2023, approximately 3.5 million migrants legally arrived in Europe. The remaining approximately 1 million people were in the EU without permission. Most of the latter are people who entered the country normally through airports or ports with visas, but did not return home even after the expiration date. The agreement also applies to the remaining minorities, estimated to number around 300,000 immigrants last year. They are people caught crossing borders outside the EU without permission, such as those who arrived on boats provided by smugglers via the Mediterranean or Atlantic Ocean to the shores of Greece, Italy or Spain.
How does the system work?
Countries whose territories people land in will test people at or near their borders. This includes background checks and other checks, including for children as young as 6 years old. Information will be stored in a large new database, Eurodac. This screening should determine whether the person poses a health or safety risk and is likely to be allowed to stay. Generally, people fleeing conflict, persecution, or violence may qualify for asylum. Those looking for work may be refused entry. Screening is mandatory and must be done within 7 days. That should lead to either an application for international protection, such as asylum, or deportation to their home country.
What does the asylum process involve?
People seeking asylum must first apply in the EU country they enter and stay until authorities in that country decide where their application should be processed. Perhaps they have family, culture, and other connections elsewhere, so it may make more sense to emigrate. Border procedures must be completed within 12 weeks, including time for one legal appeal if the application is rejected. This could be extended by eight weeks in the event of large-scale movement of people. The process could be faster for applicants from countries whose citizens are less likely to be granted asylum. Critics say this undermines asylum law because applicants should be assessed individually, not by nationality. While that happens, people will remain in “reception centers” where they have access to health care and education. Those who are refused will be ordered deported.
What does deportation involve?
To speed things up, a deportation order will be automatically issued if an asylum application is rejected. It is expected that the new he will take a period of 12 weeks to complete this process. Authorities can detain people indefinitely. The EU’s Border and Coast Guard Agency will help organize joint expulsion flights. Currently, fewer than one in three people are ordered to leave the country. This is often due to a lack of cooperation from these people’s countries of origin.
How were issues of responsibility and obligation resolved?
The new rules will oblige countries to help EU member states under migration pressure. Support is essential, but flexible. Countries can relocate asylum seekers to their own territory or choose other forms of support. This is financial, with the transfer valued at $21,462 per person for her, but could be technical or logistical. Member states can also be responsible for deporting people from problematic partner countries.
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What challenges lie ahead?
Two issues stand out. Will member states ever fully enact this plan, and will the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, implement new rules if it chooses not to apply rules already in place? The committee plans to submit a common implementation plan by June. It sets out the path and timetable for making the agreement work over the next two years, as well as the goals that the EU and Member States should achieve. Things may get off to a rocky start. Hungary, which has fiercely opposed reforms, will take over the EU’s agenda-setting presidency for six months on July 1.
