EU leaders discuss stricter measures to curb arrivals of asylum seekers | migration news

European Union leaders are expected to discuss stricter laws to curb migration following a recent surge in far-right support.

With the conflicts in Gaza, Lebanon and Ukraine high on the agenda at Thursday’s summit in Brussels, how to deal with illegal immigrants arriving in the 27-nation bloc by land from the east and by sea from the south will be a key issue. . .

Most EU governments see this as a political and security risk that will fuel the rise of populist and far-right parties and influence elections.

“We will focus on concrete measures to combat illegal migration, including strengthening external border controls, strengthening partnerships and reinforcing return policies,” EU Council President Charles Michel said in an invitation letter to EU leaders.

The number of irregular migrants and refugees arriving in Europe last year was less than a third of the one million people identified during the 2015 migration crisis. In the first nine months of this year, that number fell even further, to 166,000, according to data from the EU Frontex border agency. showed it

However, the number of people arriving at the EU border with Belarus jumped 192% to 13,195 from January to September compared to the same period last year, while the number of people arriving in Spain’s Canary Islands off the west coast of Africa doubled to 30,616, Frontex said. It was revealed.

Poland, which faces presidential elections in May, wants to temporarily suspend asylum rights for people arriving from Russia-allied Belarus, a move many see as a violation of the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights.

It said it was inspired by Finland, which suspended asylum rights in July after encountering migrants pushed back across the border from Russia.

‘Innovative’ project

The EU agreed in May on a new set of rules and processes for processing migration, called the Migration Pact, but full implementation will not occur until mid-2026, putting the bloc in a complex transition period.

Further complicating matters, the immigration agreement has no means to address the ‘weaponization’ of immigration by countries such as Russia, nor does it address the thorny issue of returning migrants whose asylum claims are rejected.

The European Commission said this week it would propose sending migrants who do not have the right to remain in the EU to “return hubs” in countries outside the EU where the bloc could strike a deal.

In an unusually detailed letter before the summit, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said there was “no room for complacency” and urged parts of the agreement to come into effect much sooner.

She also extended this to setting up “innovative” projects such as Italy outsourcing asylum applications to Albania.

On Wednesday, the first refugees and migrants were transferred to the port of Seongjin by an Italian navy ship under a controversial agreement between the two countries to send refugees outside the EU while asylum seekers’ applications are processed.

“We might be able to learn a lesson from real-life experience,” von der Leyen wrote. “This is an innovative solution that, in principle, deserves the attention of our colleagues here.”

The Dutch conservative government said late Wednesday it was also considering plans to send rejected African asylum seekers to Uganda.

Uganda’s Trade and Development Minister Reinette Klever unveiled the idea during a visit to the East African country, but it was not immediately clear whether such a plan would be legal or feasible or whether Uganda would accept it.

“We are open to any discussion,” Ugandan Foreign Minister Jeje Odongo told Dutch broadcaster NOS.

Germany is also wary of a public backlash against illegal immigration ahead of elections next September. This is especially true after a knife attack claimed by ISIL (ISIS) last August as thousands gathered to commemorate the 650th anniversary of the city of Solingen.

Berlin has introduced border controls in all its neighbors, suspending passport-free freedoms in the Schengen zone. France, Denmark, Sweden, Austria, Italy and Slovenia have also introduced border checks.