08/06/2023 12:42 (act. 08/06/2023 14:08)
Interior Minister Karner represents Austria at the EU Interior Ministers’ Meeting. ©APA/TOBIAS STEINMAURER
Interior ministers are struggling to make a “historic decision” on the EU’s asylum system.
After years of wrangling, EU interior ministers finally want to reach agreement on key issues for the EU’s future common asylum system on Thursday. However, there are no signs of a quick deal in the Luxembourg talks. Proposals for the mandatory distribution of asylum seekers in the EU and the preliminary examination of asylum claims at the European external borders of people with poor prospects for the right to stay are controversial.
Interior Minister Karner calls for asylum procedures at the EU’s external border
At the start of the deliberations, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) agreed to a “hard fight”. “Especially the last meters of a path are often the toughest and most difficult, so I expect intense negotiations,” Karner said ahead of the meeting. He would need “faster, stricter and therefore fairer procedures at the EU’s external borders”. In addition, he will fight for asylum processes in “safe third countries”, underlined the Minister of the Interior.
When asked about the distribution of refugees and possible compensation payments, Karner replied: Austria “has always shown solidarity in the past”, for example with Austrian police at the Hungarian-Serbian border. Karner pointed out that Austria had the second highest number of asylum applications per capita in recent years.
German Interior Minister warns of the end of the Schengen area
According to the German Press Agency, Austria and the Netherlands made it clear at the meeting that some of the planned rules for a more efficient fight against illegal migration do not go far enough. Other countries, such as Germany, on the other hand, called for weakening. Berlin does not want to accept that families with children who cross the border illegally in prison-like conditions are subjected to accelerated asylum procedures.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser called for a “historic decision” in advance. In the ARD “Morgenmagazin” Faeser said: “I am afraid that if we do not achieve a common asylum system, we will fall into nationalism.” Schengen with open borders would probably no longer be possible. For Germany, an agreement on the asylum issue is therefore a good compromise.
Southern countries demand fair distribution of migrants
Italy’s government has stated that it still considers the regulations envisaged for more solidarity to be insufficient and that it wants more flexibility in some areas. Doing asylum reform without the government’s support in Rome is said to make little sense, as most migrants are arriving in the country and the EU is dependent on Italy’s adherence to the new rules.
Above all, the redistribution of asylum seekers arriving at the EU’s external borders within the EU is controversial. This mandatory “solidarity mechanism” was supposed to come into effect in exceptional cases, such as when there are large numbers of people seeking protection – but fronts between EU states have hardened.
While countries like Austria, Poland and Hungary strictly reject a mandatory quota for redistribution, countries in the south like Italy and Greece, where many migrants arrive, have been demanding more support for years. In the future, however, there must be the possibility of buying the freedom to receive refugees. The payment of compensation of around €20,000 per asylum seeker was recently discussed.
EU Parliament President Calls for Quick Deal on EU Asylum System
In addition, EU ministers are struggling with preliminary asylum checks at the EU’s external borders. Anyone entering the country from a country considered relatively safe – such as Tunisia, Egypt and Bangladesh today – may, in the future, arrive at a strictly controlled reception center after crossing the border. Within a few weeks, it would be checked whether the applicant had a chance of obtaining asylum – if not, he would be sent back immediately.
The prerequisite for a decision on Thursday is the approval of 15 EU countries, which together represent at least 65% of the total EU population. If an agreement is reached, member states will still have to agree the final legal text with the EU Parliament.
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola called for a quick decision. “We now need a constructive approach from all EU countries and a decision as soon as possible, ideally this Thursday,” Metsola told “Welt” (Thursday edition). Then the EU Parliament could pass the EU’s new migration and asylum package before the end of the legislative period in June 2024. “We cannot waste time, possibly even years,” Metsola said.