The European Commission welcomes the political agreement on the new pact for migration and asylum in the European Union. But the model that will try to create a structure to replace the solutions AD hocbecause the management of arrivals and asylum applications has its critics, who are persistent, who disapprove of the measure.
The Hungarian Prime Minister claims that Brussels is abusing legal powers. Viktor Orban believes that a mandatory solidarity system to process asylum applications is “unacceptable” and a way to “forcibly transform Hungary into a country of migrants”.
In Poland, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki believes that “forced relocation is not a solution to the migration problem, but a violation of the sovereignty of the Member States”.
Ahead of the controversy, and in a way that is not at all supportive, Morawiecki guarantees that “Poland will not pay for the mistakes of other countries’ immigration policies”.
But in Brussels, the first reactions are very enthusiastic about the adoption of the model that will try to create a structure for dealing with arrivals and asylum applications: “a European challenge” for which it is necessary to find “a common solution”, says the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who already welcomed the agreement and congratulated the Commissioner on the migration file.
Ylva Johansson, the European Commissioner for Home Affairs, was even surprised by the favorable outcome of the “marathon”.
According to DN/TSF, there were abstentions from Bulgaria, Slovakia, Lithuania, Malta and the Czech Republic, and votes against from Poland and Hungary. But with the vote in favor of 20 countries, including Portugal, the European Union reached a qualified majority to approve the proposal that creates a migration policy, united and coordinated at European level.
decisive step
The Council of the European Union had announced the agreement as a “decisive step” towards modernizing the EU’s asylum and immigration rules. The measure creates a negotiating position with regard to the regulation of the asylum procedure and the management of asylum and immigration.
It aims to establish a “common procedure” across the EU, including “standards for the rights of asylum seekers”, such as, for example, “an interpretation service or the right to assistance and legal representation”. For example, it is hoped to prevent “misuse of the system” by establishing “clear obligations” for applicants to cooperate with authorities throughout the procedure.
In addition, the new regulation introduces “mandatory border procedures”, with the aim of quickly assessing “whether asylum applications are unfounded or inadmissible” at the EU’s external borders.
Punishment for failure
The Council also proposes a “new solidarity mechanism” to balance the current system, in which “few Member States” are responsible for the majority of asylum applications.
The new rules combine “mandatory solidarity” with flexibility for member states to choose the form of their individual contributions. This may include outplacement, financial contributions or “alternative solidarity measures” such as mobilizing staff.
The proposal, as adopted, provides for a minimum annual number of relocations from Member States where more people enter the EU to others less exposed to new arrivals and migrants and refugees. This number is set at 30,000, while the minimum annual amount for financial contributions will be €20,000 per move.
The new model also includes measures aimed at preventing “abuse by the asylum seeker” and preventing “secondary migration” within the European Union.
This solution, approved by the Council of the European Union, will serve as the basis for negotiations between the Council Presidency and the European Parliament.
Source: DN
