The principle was reached during the meeting of the Ministers of Justice and Home Affairs for the new European regulation on , which is clearly stricter than the previous one.
As reported by European media, the measures, which also reflect the rise of the far right in Europe, but also try to respond to the accusations of the Trump administration, will give member states the ability to deport people who do not have the right to live and work in the Union, create centers for processing asylum applications abroad and set up “return hubs” outside their borders.
Tougher measures
The draft includes a new “solidarity mechanism”, where countries — other than those already facing high migrant pressure — would be asked to either resettle migrants or fund support for other countries. In addition, a new list of “safe countries” has been drawn up, from which asylum applications will be quickly rejected unless there are exceptional circumstances.
As Politico points out, further rules to be discussed by ministers today provide for the possibility for countries to set up asylum processing centers in countries outside the EU, as well as “nodes of return” for people whose applications are not accepted.
Danish initiative
The changes were pushed by Denmark, which holds the six-month presidency of the EU Council, with the country’s centre-left government taking a tough approach to irregular immigration both at home and in Brussels. “We have a very high flow of irregular migrants and European countries are under pressure,” said Danish Minister for Immigration and Integration Rasmus Stocklund. “Thousands drown in the Mediterranean or become victims of exploitation along migration routes, while smugglers treasure.”
According to what Politico reports, serious concerns and disagreements were expressed during the meeting from countries such as Spain, according to which the new rules are too strict, but also from countries such as Slovakia, which argues that they are not enough. Despite the disagreements, negotiators managed to reach an agreement before the winter break.
“Controlling the migration challenge has been a key demand of European leaders for years. For many, this is seen as crucial to maintaining the trust of European citizens,” said an unnamed European diplomat.
