EU Approves Major Reforms to Immigration Policies

April 15, 2024 TruthUSA

The EU’s new migration and asylum pact introduces updated screening rules that encompass identification, health and security evaluations, and the collection of biometric data.

European Union (EU) legislators endorsed a revamped immigration system on April 10 following extensive negotiations over several years.

Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) ratified the new Migration and Asylum Pact, aimed at overhauling the EU’s immigration legislation, aligning with its member nations to effectively manage unlawful immigration into the union, according to an official statement.

This initiative was crafted in response to the influx of 1.3 million individuals, primarily fleeing conflict in Syria and Iraq, who sought refuge in Europe in 2015. The EU’s asylum infrastructure crumbled, reception centers in Greece and Italy were overwhelmed, and northern countries erected barriers to deter unauthorized immigrants.

As of this year, over 46,000 individuals have entered the EU unlawfully, with estimates from the U.N. suggesting that 400 individuals lost their lives while attempting to enter.

‘Mandatory Solidarity’

The legislation outlines a “new mandatory solidarity mechanism” that mandates all EU members to aid others that are inundated by substantial unlawful immigration, as per the bill’s text and the official statement.

Under this mechanism, the EU will create an annual pool to which each member state must contribute either by relocating illegal immigrants to its territory or through a financial contribution, the statement explained.

The calculation of the annual contribution is based on a weighted average of the country’s proportion of the total population and GDP within the 27-member bloc, as stipulated in the legislation, with each share holding a 50% weight.

For instance, if a member country constitutes 20% of the EU population and 10% of the bloc’s GDP, then its weighted average contribution would be 15%, calculated as half of the population share and half of the GDP share.

Although the member country must fulfill its allocated quota, it retains the freedom to choose the form of contribution, whether relocating illegal immigrants or covering costs for other EU nations to accept immigrants, as outlined in the bill.

The legislation also sets a minimum contribution threshold, requiring each member country to process at least 30,000 immigrants and contribute €600 million ($640 million) annually.

Response to Immigration Crises

The bill mandates that all member states contribute to supporting an EU member facing a dysfunctional immigration and asylum system due to a substantial influx of illegal immigrants via land, air, or sea, as per the statement and the bill text.

This provision also addresses the issue of “instrumentalization of migrants,” the statement highlighted.

Instrumentalization occurs when a third country or hostile non-state entity exploits an immigration scenario and encourages or facilitates movement to the EU’s external borders with the aim of destabilizing the EU or its member states, the statement maintained. However, it clarified that humanitarian aid operations should not be considered forms of instrumentalization as their objective is not to destabilize the EU or its constituents.

Screening at EU Borders

The legislation incorporates new screening protocols that encompass identification, health and security screenings, and the collection of biometric data, as stated in a press release.

Illegal immigrants are rescued by members of the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms, after leaving Libya trying to reach European soil aboard an overcrowded rubber boat in the Mediterranean Sea, on Dec. 24, 2020. (AP Photo/file/Sergi Camara)

The current EU fingerprint processing system, Eurodac, will be upgraded to include storage and processing of facial images and additional information for illegal immigrants and asylum seekers, as detailed in a press release. Additionally, the legislation has reduced the age threshold for the collection of biometric data from children, lowering it from 14 to 6 years.

Established in 2000, Eurodac can be accessed by the EU police (Europol) and the national police forces of all member nations, as well as four non-EU countries—Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein.

Asylum and Deportation Procedures

Rescuers recover a body after a boat is wrecked and bodies believed to be of illegal immigrants were found in Cutro, the eastern coast of Italy's Calabria region, Italy, on Feb. 26, 2023. (Giuseppe Pipita/Reuters) — Rescuers recover a body after a boat is wrecked and bodies believed to be of illegal immigrants were found in Cutro, the eastern coast of Italy’s Calabria region, Italy, on Feb. 26, 2023. (Giuseppe Pipita/Reuters)

The new regulations necessitating expedited processing of asylum applications and deportations will supersede national procedures across all EU member states, as stated in a press release.

The bill enforces a timeframe of up to 12 weeks for asylum procedures conducted at or near the EU’s external border or transit zones, with rejected asylum seekers mandated to be deported within 12 weeks, according to the regulation.

Unlawful immigrants are entitled to free legal assistance in all administrative proceedings, the statement emphasized.

The European Commission, the EU’s executive body, will allocate each country an annual asylum application limit, with the cap gradually increasing over three years post-enforcement of the new law, as mentioned in the statement.

Reception of Asylum Applicants

The bill reduces the waiting period for granting work permits to asylum applicants from nine to six months, as per a press release. Additionally, asylum seekers will have access to language, civic education, and vocational training courses.

Children are to be enrolled in school within two months of arrival, while unaccompanied minors must be assigned a guardian shortly after applying for asylum, the statement disclosed.

EU states are authorized to designate specific residences for asylum seekers, although detention is permitted only under specific circumstances outlined in national laws, the statement clarified.

EU Resettlement Program

EU countries have the option to participate voluntarily in the EU resettlement program for immigrants, while the EU can establish resettlement targets for specific regions and countries over two years, according to a press release.

Candidates for resettlement will mostly be recommended by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and accepted by a specific EU member state, in accordance with the bill text. These individuals are required to be eligible for refugee or subsidiary protection status within the EU.

Those qualifying for the resettlement program will receive legal status enabling “access to all the fundamental rights associated with this status,” as per the statement.

How MEPs Voted

The new Migration and Asylum Pact comprises ten legislative components, each evaluated and approved individually, as outlined in the statement.

Half of the legislative texts passed by a narrow margin in the European Parliament consisting of 705 members.

Segments of the bill addressing crises stemming from high levels of unlawful immigrants were endorsed by a slim margin of 29 votes, with 46 abstentions. The sections affecting asylum procedures were passed with a close margin of 32 votes and 51 abstentions, according to the statement.

Conversely, the segment addressing the resettlement program was approved with a significant 300-vote margin and 14 abstentions, the statement added.

The parts concerning the management of asylum seekers and the expansion of the EU’s centralized biometric system prevailed with wide margins of 236 and 232 votes, respectively, the statement noted.

To become law, the bill requires approval from the EU Council, another legislative body.

Implementation of the regulations is set to commence in two years, with member states given a two-year timeframe to incorporate changes into their national laws regarding immigrant reception, stated in the release.

Controversies

The parliament’s proceedings were briefly disrupted by a group of demonstrators in the public gallery wearing shirts with the message “this pact kills” and vocalizing “Vote no!”

Amnesty International, a human rights organization, condemned the pact, deeming the vote accepting it as “a missed opportunity,” as stated in a statement.

Eve Geddie, director at Amnesty International, remarked, “This is a failure to exhibit global leadership on refugee protection and develop secure, impartial, and dignified avenues for individuals to access Europe, be it in search of safety or opportunity.”

Contributions from The Associated Press and Reuters.