European Union lawmakers will vote on a vast overhaul of the bloc's asylum policies that would harden border procedures for irregular arrivals and require all member countries to pitch in. The new Migration and Asylum Pact is a package of 10 laws drawn up after years of negotiations that aim to get European Union countries to act together on the issue of migration.

Brussels

European Union lawmakers are set to vote on a significant reform of the bloc's asylum policies, aimed at strengthening border procedures for irregular arrivals and mandating the participation of all member countries in the process. This reform is part of the new Migration and Asylum Pact, which encompasses a total of 10 laws. These laws were developed following years of negotiations with the goal of unifying EU countries under a common framework for handling migration issues.

The Migration and Asylum Pact is designed to overhaul the European Union's approach to asylum, addressing the challenges of irregular migration with more stringent border measures while ensuring shared responsibility among member states. This collaborative initiative signifies a concerted effort to harmonise the EU's stance on migration and asylum, reflecting an understanding of the necessity for a joint rulebook in managing these complex phenomena.



Landmark E.U. asylum reform goes to vote

When she first presented the bill in September 2020, the European Commission chief called it a pragmatic and reasonable approach. But the new pact on migration and asylum has been slammed by rights groups and politicians across the spectrum. It includes several interlinked pieces of legislation, including compulsory initial screening at EU borders that would last up to seven days. Afterwards, migrants would be directed towards a standard or an accelerated asylum procedure or sent back to their country of origin or transit. Migrants whose asylum request is deemed valid but statistically have the least chance of obtaining international protection would be directed towards a quote border procedure. This concerns nationals of countries like Morocco, Tunisia and Bangladesh. Their claims would be dealt with in a maximum of 12 weeks and if rejected, they should be returned to their home countries within a further 12 weeks. The new bill maintains the principle whereby the first EU country an asylum seeker enters is responsible for examining their case. But to relieve pressure on southern Europe where most migrants arrive, a so-called solidarity mechanism would oblige other member states to either take in asylum seekers or give other countries financial aid. They'd pay 20,000 euros for each asylum seeker not relocated. The legislation also includes an emergency response mechanism if the bloc faces a surge in migration like that of 2015 to 2016. Under this provision, migrants would be detained at the EU's external borders for up to nine months instead of six. The pact has been criticised by rights groups and the left as focusing on keeping people away rather than helping those in need, while members of the far right want more measures to fortify the bloc's outer borders.

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