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BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union lawmakers approved it Wednesday. Significant changes to the bloc’s immigration lawsIt hopes to control the entry of thousands of people without permission and end years of division over how to steal votes from the far right. Campaign issues ahead of June elections.
In a series of 10 votes, MEPs supported the regulations and policies that make up the Migration and Asylum Agreement. The reform tackles difficult questions about who should be held responsible when migrants arrive and whether other EU member states are obliged to help.
The rally was briefly interrupted in the general gallery by a small but noisy group of demonstrators wearing shirts reading “This deal will kill lives” and chanting “Vote no!”
The EU’s 27 member states will now need to back the reforms in a vote, likely in late April, before they come into force.
European Parliament President Roberta Mezzola, a former top immigration lawmaker who helped pave the way for the reform, posted on X (formerly Twitter) after the vote: “History has been made.”
“It was more than a decade in the making. But we kept our promise: a balance of solidarity and responsibility. This is the European way,” she wrote.
German Interior Minister Nancy Feser described the results as a “huge and very important success.”
“After years of tough negotiations, we have agreed to this comprehensive package, which has enabled us to overcome the deep divisions in Europe.” Feser said in a written statement that it has become a top destination for those seeking.
“We continue to protect people who have fled horrific wars, terrorism, torture and murder. But this responsibility for refugees will fall on even more shoulders in the future,” she said. added.
The plan was developed with the support of 1.3 million people, mostly those fleeing wars in Syria and Iraq. emigrated to Europe in 2015. The EU’s asylum system has collapsed, with reception centers overwhelmed in Greece and Italy, and barriers further north erected to prevent people from entering the country.
But few admitted they were satisfied with the new policy response. One of Europe’s biggest political crisesand even the lawmakers who drafted some of the new regulations are reluctant to support the entire reform package.
“I’m not going to pop champagne after this,” Dutch lawmaker Sophie Int Veld, who summarized parliament’s position on immigration conditions, told reporters on the eve of the plenary session in Brussels.
Malin Björk, a Swedish lawmaker who worked on refugee resettlement, said the deal did not address “any of the problems it was trying to solve.”
He said the proposed reform would “undermine the right of individuals to seek asylum” in Europe because it would build on the plans some EU countries already have for processing overseas migrants. Italy has concluded a similar agreement with Albania. Björk’s left-wing group voted against the deal.
The new rules include controversial measures that would require facial images and fingerprints to be taken from children over the age of six and potentially restrain them during the tests. Those who are not allowed to stay may be subject to expedited deportation.
Behind the books, countries have an obligation to support EU member states by offering to house people eligible for asylum or, failing that, by paying to house them elsewhere. There is a possibility of loss.
Most immigration and human rights groups condemned the reform proposal.
In a joint statement, 22 charities, including the International Rescue Committee and Oxfam, said the deal “remains deep cracks in Europe’s approach to asylum and migration and offers no sustainable solutions for people seeking safety at Europe’s borders.” We have not been able to provide any countermeasures.”
However, they noted that some of the reforms governing the resettlement of migrants from outside the region to Europe are “bringing a glimmer of hope to many refugees around the world”.
Yves Guedi of Amnesty International called this a “failure to demonstrate global leadership”.
“For people fleeing conflict, persecution and economic instability, these reforms mean reduced protection and face human rights violations, including illegal and violent opposition, arbitrary detention and discriminatory policing across Europe. “It increases the risk,” she said.
Mainstream parties had hoped to secure agreement on the deal ahead of elections across Europe from June 6-9. Immigration is likely to be an issue in elections, and they believe the reforms address concerns about the issue, which has consistently drawn votes from far-right parties.
Beata Szydlo, a member of Poland’s nationalist Law and Justice Party and former prime minister, slammed the deal in a post on X on Wednesday. “The EU’s immigration policy is wrong and needs to change. But you can’t put out a fire by just throwing more fuel on it,” she said.
Protests against migrants in Europe have largely focused on the small number of people who enter the country in unseaworthy boats or cross Europe’s borders on foot. Millions of people enter the country legally every year. Less than 10% of people are in Europe illegally, and the majority entered the country with permission but refused to leave the country even after their visas expired.
Once the regulation is fully approved, the main question is whether member states will fully implement it, and whether the European Commission, the EU’s executive branch, will not enforce the regulation to avoid aggravating the political situation. The issue is whether to enforce the regulations if they choose to do so. Crisis in recent years.
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Associated Press writer Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin contributed to this report.
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Follow AP’s global migration coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/migration
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