European Migration Policy: One Giant Leap

Facade of the European Commission's main building with flags of the European Union. (Photo: Andrew Guitar / Flickr.com)

After half a decade of side-stepping, a new european migration policy really is around the corner with the members of the EU having come together yesterday to discuss the most important matters. At the end of the summit in Brussels, EU leaders agreed to shift how the bloc approaches migration policy.

Even though EU decision-makers provided few specifics on how the controversial project of outsourcing migration policy would actually operate and how authorities would be able to uphold human rights when transferring migrants outside the bloc’s borders, the 27 EU leaders on Thursday gave their most clear support to date for the project.

The leaders concluded a one-day summit by saying, “New ways to prevent and counter irregular migration should be considered, in line with EU and international law.”

Despite its ambiguity, the line serves as the political green light to experiment with long-standing legal precedents and develop “innovative solutions,” as some leaders like to refer to them, in an effort to reduce the number of asylum applications, which last year hit 1,129,000, the highest level since 2016.

Big Win for Polish and Potentially for European Security

On Thursday, EU leaders backed Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s pledge to temporarily bar asylum seekers from Belarus or Russia, cautioning Moscow against using migrant flows as a weapon to undermine European nations.

After their meeting in Brussels, the 27 leaders of the European Union issued a statement saying, “Russia and Belarus, or any other country, cannot be allowed to abuse our values, including the right to asylum, and to undermine our democracies.”

Tusk, who declared last week that Poland would temporarily halt the right of asylum for migrants traveling to his nation through its border with Belarus, benefited from the statement. He claimed that Russia had planned the influx as part of “hybrid warfare” strategies meant to weaken Poland.

In a show of solidarity, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo told reporters Thursday, “I very much understand Poland, Donald Tusk’s proposal (on) how to secure the border against instrumentalized migration from Russia and Belarus.”

“We passed national legislation to address the same issue on our border a year ago, but it isn’t a long-term fix. We require legislation against instrumentalized immigration at the European level,” Orpo continued.

More Funds for the Neighbours

In order to stop arrivals from occurring in the first place, the Commission is also urged by Thursday’s conclusions to sign more comprehensive EU-funded agreements with neighboring nations. Von der Leyen declared her agreement with Tunisia a success, pointing out that this year’s migrant flows through the Central Mediterranean have dropped by 64%.

Irregular Border Crossings Down in 2024

Deutsche Welle reports that after reaching their highest level in nearly ten years last year, irregular border crossings have decreased by more than 40% so far in 2024.

Giorgia Meloni, the far-right prime minister of Italy, told reporters prior to the summit that “there is a desire to work on pragmatic solutions.”

A contentious agreement mediated by Italy now sends some migrants to Albanian reception centers. Through an offshore Italian asylum processing center in Albania, four migrants were allowed entry into Italy on Thursday. Italy is one of the top destinations for asylum seekers due to its extensive Mediterranean coastline and nearby island territories.

The Summit Came after Far-right Gains in Netherlands, Germany, Austria

The EU gathering coincided with the rise of far-right parties in Europe that advocate harsher anti-immigration policies.
In the June elections for the European Parliament, far-right parties made significant gains, but the chamber was still controlled by the centrist working majority. In the Netherlands, Germany, and Austria, far-right parties have also won a number of national and regional elections.

“We see that there is a different mood in Europe,” said Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, who leads a government with a far-right slant. A plan to send rejected asylum seekers to Uganda is being considered by the Netherlands.

“Many Europeans are fed up with us assisting foreigners who commit crimes,” stated Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. Some people have become radicalized.

“This cannot continue. As a result, the number of people we can assist is limited,” she continued.

The meeting was also attended by Viktor Orban, the prime minister of Hungary, a right-wing populist who has frequently clashed with Brussels.

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