The interior ministers of European Union countries met in Luxembourg on Thursday to discuss ways to strengthen border controls and curb undocumented migration into the 27-member bloc.
Following the talks, they approved a new regulation to boost deportations of irregular migrants.
It will allow member states to establish so-called return hubs outside the EU for migrants who are legally required to leave the bloc but cannot be returned to their countries of origin.
Countries including Denmark, Austria, Greece, Germany and the Netherlands have been exploring options to change migration policy and set up such migrant centers.
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What did the ministers say?
“When it comes to return hubs,” Danish Interior Minister Morten Bodskov told reporters, “it’s progressing very well.”
“We are moving in the right direction,” he said without providing further details.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said there were “preliminary” talks on return hubs but declined to say which countries were involved.
More work was needed to make sure any agreement would withstand possible lawsuits, he said.
“These agreements are meant to be sustainable in the long term,” Dobrindt noted, adding that he was nevertheless hopeful that a first deal could be sealed by the end of the year.
Dutch Migration Minister Bart van den Brink said a technical mission already visited a potential host country in early September.
Supporters of the policy say return hubs could facilitate repatriations and act as a deterrent for would-be irregular migrants.
But critics question their legality and argue that they violate migrants’ fundamental rights.
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Suspending asylum process in emergencies?
On Thursday, Greece even proposed temporarily suspending asylum applications in emergency situations. The right to seek asylum is guaranteed by the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.
Athens argued that current rules are inadequate to handle mass arrivals as in Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta this summer.
The Spanish government estimates over 72,000 migrants entered Ceuta in late July. While most of them have since returned, some 10,000 remain, reinforcing calls in some EU capitals for a tougher approach. The Spanish government has said only minors and small groups of the people who entered Ceuta were brought to mainland Spain.
Greece’s proposal appeared to draw support from some member states.
“We have to find a legal way not to bring them into the asylum procedure,” said Dutch Migration Minister van den Brink. “In situations like Ceuta, it should be treated as a border management issue rather than an asylum issue.”
Asked whether he saw a suspension of asylum as possible under the new emergency law, Magnus Brunner, EU commissioner for migration, said: “Europe needs the means to protect its borders at all times,” while stressing that “we will always comply with fundamental rights and values.”
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Plans to curtail irregular migration
The interior ministers’ talks come as undocumented migration remains high on the EU’s political agenda, with far-right parties increasingly gaining support across the bloc.
The situation has pushed many governments towards tougher migration policies centered on border controls, deterrence and returns.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said this month that the Commission will propose an emergency tool for countries to better deal with mass migration movements.
But details are still being worked out.
There are also plans to strengthen the EU’s border agency, Frontex, with many stressing the need for the organization to have a rapid intervention force that could intervene in border crises.
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Edited by: Sean Sinico
