The Council of the European Union has adopted a set of rules that reform the entire asylum system on the continent. Poland and Hungary voted against the entire package of laws. This was reported by UNN with reference to the portal of the European Council and Euronews.
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The European Union finalized the approval of migration and asylum policy reforms.
The pact was discussed for many years, and finally in April the European Parliament gave the green light to the agreement. Today, EU member states also approved the proposed set of rules.
"The Asylum and Migration Pact will ensure a fairer and stronger migration system that makes a concrete difference on the ground. The new rules will make the European asylum system more efficient and strengthen solidarity between Member States. The European Union will also continue to work closely with third countries to tackle the root causes of irregular migration," the European Council press release said.
For the EU, the path to the finish line was not at all easy: the idea of having a common, predictable set of rules for dealing with illegally arrived asylum seekers emerged after the 2015-2016 migration crisis, which turned this issue into a political explosive that divided countries into sharply opposing camps.
Southern member states complained of being overwhelmed and left to fend for themselves. Western and northern countries called for increased accountability and enforcement at the external borders, while eastern states resisted any initiatives similar to the resettlement quota.
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Ten directives and regulations were approved by an overwhelming majority, with only Poland and Hungary consistently voting against, and a number of countries abstaining.
Poland and Hungary have consistently opposed the system of "mandatory solidarity" since the reform was introduced in 2020. They believe that the rules will force them to accept migrants against their will.
Other skeptics include the Czech Republic and Slovakia. These two countries abstained from voting. Austria voted only against the crisis settlement.
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Now that the pact has been approved, attention will turn to implementation. The Commission will present a common implementation plan in June, with each member state expected to submit a national implementation plan by the end of the year.
Recall
UNN reported that the EU Council is planning to approve a migration pactcontaining significant reforms to the asylum policy.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine expects the negotiation framework to be approved and the actual start of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the European Union in June, marking the next stage of rapprochement with the EU.