EU approves major overhaul of immigration rules

After years of negotiations, the European Parliament has approved major reforms to strengthen the EU’s immigration and asylum rules.

The EU Asylum and Migration Agreement has been in the works since 2015 and is expected to enter into force in two years’ time.

The aim is to speed up asylum procedures and facilitate the return of irregular migrants to their home countries.

EU member states are also required to share responsibility for asylum seekers.

Around 380,000 people illegally crossed EU borders last year, the highest number since 2016.

The EU said the agreement combines flexibility with “mandatory solidarity” between member states. Although some EU member states still oppose parts of the deal, it is expected to be approved in full by the end of April.

Under the proposed rules, the EU’s 27 member states would have to take in thousands of migrants from “frontline” countries such as Italy, Greece and Spain, or provide additional funding and resources in return.

The agreement also states that asylum applications that are “unlikely to be accepted” should not necessarily be admitted to the EU and should be examined quickly.

The agreement also aims to process asylum claims within a maximum of 12 weeks. If refused, the asylum seeker must be deported to his or her home country within the same period.

Immigrants will undergo rigorous pre-entry checks within seven days, including ID and health and safety checks.

Biometric data will be collected from migrants over the age of six, and mechanisms will be put in place to deal with the sudden increase in arrivals.

The migration deal is supported by two major political groups: the centre-right European People’s Party Group (EPP Group) and the centre-left Socialists and Democratic Progressive Union (S&D).

Both groups are seeking to fend off strong challenges from the right in parliamentary elections in June.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hailed the “historic and essential step”, while European Parliament President Roberta Mezzola said it struck a “balance between unity and responsibility”.

“It’s not going to solve everything overnight, but it’s 10 big steps forward,” she said.

Hungary has vowed not to accept irregular migrants “irrespective of migration agreements,” and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said that he will not accept any irregular migrants, including the acceptance of some asylum seekers and the provision of EU funds to frontline countries. He refused, saying, “I can’t do it.”

Although many MPs welcomed the outcome, some noted that the agreement was not “perfect.”

“This is a compromise that we can work together on,” said Slovenian parliamentarian Majaz Nemec, while Belgian Hilde Voetmans said the bill was “not perfect” but still voted in favor.

However, left-wing and far-right groups opposed the deal.

Jourdan Bardera, from France’s far-right National Rally party, said the migration deal was “terrible” and urged Europeans to vote against President Emmanuel Macron, who supports the deal, in the June 9 European elections. called out.

At one point, demonstrators chanted “This deal will kill lives, vote no” and threw paper airplanes to disrupt the vote.

Many NGOs have also urged MPs to vote down the reforms, with Amnesty International warning that the deal will lead to a “surge in suffering” for asylum seekers.

One common objection from NGOs is that asylum seekers who are unlikely to be accepted will have their claims processed on small border islands or in detention facilities in frontline states, depriving them of a fair process. is.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) expressed concern about both the “normalization of detentions and the speeding up of border procedures.” He warned that a quick decision risks sending back people who should be granted asylum.