After years of wrangling, EU states have apparently agreed to tighten EU asylum rules. Specifically, EU interior ministers on Thursday in Luxembourg dealt with the distribution of asylum seekers in the European Union and preliminary examinations of asylum applications for people at the European external border with little chance of the right to stay. For the final text of the law, EU states must now enter into negotiations with the EU Parliament.
In a public meeting, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) described the result as a “good step forward”. Postscript: “But we also have to take more steps.” The current system doesn’t work, “it was and we need to improve it”, says Karner.
In view of the high number of asylum applications and the upcoming EU elections in June 2024, many EU countries have pushed for a quick solution. However, negotiations between EU interior ministers proved difficult. Countries like Austria, Italy and Germany asked for improvements in several points.
Once agreement is reached, negotiations with the EU Parliament can begin. A compromise for the entire asylum and migration pact, which provides for various regulations, must be reached before the 2024 European elections. (apa)