A large-scale reform of EU migration rules aimed at tightening border procedures and revising the asylum process takes effect on Friday. AFP summarized the innovations, UNN reports.
Details
"For the first time, we have a comprehensive European system," stated Magnus Brunner, the EU official responsible for migration, arguing that the reform will give EU countries more control over entry and exit.
A series of changes is envisioned.
Border Procedures
Migrants entering the European Union illegally will undergo identity and security screenings in a process lasting up to seven days.
Identity documents and biometric scans of their faces and fingerprints will be recorded in a database.
The goal of the screening is to determine who should receive an accelerated or standard asylum application process, and who should be returned to their country of origin or transit.
Human rights organizations complain that this will effectively lead to the majority of migrants, including children, being detained for the duration of the process.
Accelerated Rejection
Asylum seekers deemed a security threat or those with lower chances of obtaining refugee status—such as those coming from countries like Morocco and Bangladesh, whose citizens are denied protection in at least 80 percent of cases—will be processed faster.
Their applications will be processed in centers near the EU's "external borders"—meaning land borders, ports, and airports—and this process will last up to 12 weeks.
Human rights organizations argue that in most cases, this will lead to a further period of detention and a rushed decision.
For other asylum seekers, the standard procedure will continue to apply.
Solidarity Mechanism
According to EU rules, the country where an illegal migrant first sets foot is responsible for processing their case.
This puts pressure on Italy, Greece, and Malta, which have received the bulk of asylum seekers by land and sea in recent years.
To ease this burden, the reform introduces a solidarity mechanism that obliges member states to accept a certain number of asylum seekers arriving in frontline countries.
Alternatively, they can pay 20,000 euros ($23,000) per asylum seeker to the countries under pressure.
At least 30,000 asylum seekers per year will fall under this relocation system.
Relevant negotiations have already proven difficult, and the first round held last year showed that several countries refused to accept any asylum seekers.
Responding to Migration Surges
The package provides for an emergency response in the event of an unexpected migration surge—similar to the crisis the EU faced in 2015-2016, when more than two million asylum seekers arrived in the bloc, many from war-torn Syria and Afghanistan.
This will allow member states to reduce protections for asylum seekers, allowing them to be held longer than normally permitted in detention centers at the EU's external borders.
The system will also apply to the so-called "instrumentalization" of migration flows—an accusation often leveled against Belarus and Russia, which EU neighbors say are pushing migrants across the border in an attempt to destabilize the 27-nation bloc.
Concerns
A dozen member states have not yet completed preparations, including the creation of necessary infrastructure, to implement the new screening procedures.
Others have faced problems with the biometric database.
Public opinion has hardened further regarding migration since the changes were adopted, pushing EU states to demand further action.
A new package of measures aimed at strengthening the deportation of rejected asylum seekers is now moving quickly through the EU legislative process.
This has heightened concerns among human rights organizations that humanitarian issues are taking a back seat in European politics.
"The pact strikes a blow to the right to asylum at a time when the world needs Europe more than ever to protect human rights," said Judith Sunderland of Human Rights Watch regarding the measures taking effect on June 12.
EU prepares to extend temporary protection for Ukrainians for another year14.05.26, 12:24
Poland may not implement the EU migration pact thanks to Ukrainians
As reported by Polskie Radio, Poland is excluded from one of its components—the solidarity fund. This means it will not be forced to accept migrants and will not pay 20,000 euros for each refusal.
Brussels has currently accepted Warsaw's arguments regarding the refugees it has taken in from Ukraine and the costs associated with protecting the border with Belarus. Every autumn, the European Commission will assess the situation and make a decision regarding further extensions of the exemption.