European Union countries reach an agreement to reform immigration policy

On Wednesday, ambassadors of the European Union countries reached an agreement on a main text to reform immigration policy in Europe, at their meeting in Brussels.

The agreement came to overcome Italian reservations, before the EU summit in Spain., on Friday.

The agreement aims to coordinate a joint response in the event of a large influx of migrants into one of the European Union countries, as happened during the refugee crisis of 2015-2016, which allows in particular to extend the duration of the detention of migrants at the EU external borders.

The text announced by the Spanish presidency of the EU will now have to be negotiated with members of the European Parliament.

The final part of the text reveal says that the European Asylum and Migration Charter that requires approval by member states, has faced objections from Germany for several months, on humanitarian grounds.

A consensus was finally reached at the end of September, making it possible to obtain Berlin’s approval, but Italy subsequently expressed its disagreement.

Italy’s rejection focused on the role of non-governmental organizations in rescuing migrants, as Rome accuses Berlin of funding many non-governmental relief organizations in the Mediterranean.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni demanded last week that non-governmental organizations that rescue migrants in the Mediterranean disembark them in countries whose flags are raised on the ships they use.

A wording for this point was finally reached, which allowed the text to gain the support of both Italy and Germany.

The understanding stipulates that this controversial reference be deleted from the body of the text, while keeping in its preamble.

Following the agreement, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni confirmed that her country’s position has triumphed.

The German government welcomed the success in stipulating that the interventions of civilian rescuers at sea cannot be used as a pretext to activate the crisis system, which gives exceptional powers in the event that the asylum system is exposed to a crisis.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz considered that agreeing on this text would effectively limit irregular migration in Europe and permanently reduce the burden on countries like Germany.

At the meeting, Austria, Slovakia and Czechia abstained from voting, as Poland and Hungary opposed.

The European Commission and Spain, which holds the six-month rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, have expressed their confidence in the possibility of reaching an agreement before the informal European Council convenes on Friday in Granada, southern Spain, as the pressing issue of migration will be at the center of discussions.
The impasse surrounding the resolution of this crisis sparked frustration within the European Union, in the face of the high numbers of migrants who arrived at its external borders and the situation on the Italian island of Lampedusa.

The agreement stipulates the establishment of an exceptional system that is less protective of asylum seekers than the usual procedures in the event of a mass and unprecedented influx of migrants.

It extends the possibility of detaining migrants at the external borders of the European Union for a period of up to 40 weeks, and allows asylum applications to be examined more quickly for a larger number of arrivals from countries with a acceptance rate of less than 75%, so that they can be deported more easily.

It also provides for the rapid activation of solidarity mechanisms between member states in caring for refugees, especially through the resettlement of asylum seekers or financial contributions.

Last July, the meeting failed to reach the majority needed to approve the charter.

Germany, in particular, abstained from voting due to opposition from the Green Party, a member of the ruling coalition, which demanded the shelter of minors and their families.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock welcomed the agreement by saying, “We’ve fought successfully to avoid relaxing minimum humanitarian standards, such as access to education and health care”.

In an effort to put pressure on the member states of the European Union and push them to agree, the European Parliament decided to stop negotiations on two other texts in the immigration file that aim to enhance security at the external borders.

In any case, this charter, which was presented by the European Commission in September 2020 and which includes about ten pieces of legislation, is supposed to be adopted before the European elections scheduled for June 2024.

The Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska stressed that the agreement reached on Wednesday represents a major step forward, and we are now in a better position to reach an agreement on the entire Asylum and Migration Charter with Parliament by the end of this semester.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said, “We call on Brussels to immediately put an end to this migration policy and forced resettlement quotas… The reason for the increasing migration pressure on Central Europe is entirely due to Brussels, which supports the economic model of smugglers”.