The Agency draws attention to the need to protect the fundamental rights of refugees and warns against the unethical use of migrants by third countries.
The European Union migration and asylum cact could help prevent enemy actors from using migrants and refugees to put pressure on Member States, EU fundamental rights (FRA) said on Wednesday. According to the AFP report, TASR reports this.
The pact will allow countries to return to the Asylum seekers faster
Some countries outside the European Union have repeatedly sent migrants and refugees to the external borders of the Member States to put pressure on them, FRA said in a document dedicated to this topic. The EU Pact on Migration should come into force in the middle of 2026 and will allow countries to return faster refused asylum seekers, specified FRA.
“Effective and rapid introduction of return proceedings in full respect for valid protection can be discouraged from the abuse of migrants and refugees for political purposes,” the agency said. In her words, Member States could introduce sanctions on “hostile” states or to limit visas for people from these countries.
For example, Poland has accused Belarus and Russia in the past of bringing people from Afghanistan, Iraq, Ethiopia and other countries to their borders with the EU Member States and then trying to direct them across borders, writes AFP. Human rights groups subsequently accused Warsaw of illegal or occasionally forcing people back beyond the borders.
Rauti: EU countries must direct their measures against enemy actors
In 2023 and 2024, nearly 60 people died on the EU ground border with Belarus, many of them for hypothermia after being stuck there, FRA said. The new pact will allow EU members to earn asylum applications from persons who are the aim of such abuse and to deploy additional staff to assist.
“Instead of punishing migrants and refugees who are used and abused for political goals, EU countries must direct their measures against hostile actors,” said FRA director Sirpa Rauti. At the same time, she pointed out that some of the current decisions of the states in this area were disturbed by the protection of the fundamental rights of migrants.
