On Thursday and Friday, the EU’s heads of state and government will meet for the autumn’s first EU summit in Brussels.
The agenda is, as usual, packed, but one issue will probably dominate: How to stop the steady flow of people who want to go to Europe – without having the right to stay.
– A strict migration policy is absolutely necessary to deal with other difficult issues in Europe, says the Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson to the news agency TT.
More border control
Recently, country after country has tightened their national border controls – often in violation of the provisions of the Schengen Agreement.
In the draft final declaration, which NTB has seen, the countries are asked to respect the agreement.
Poland and Finland have gone one step further. Both accuse Russia and Belarus of ferrying refugees to their borders in an attempt to destabilize them, and Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk recently announced that migrants will be temporarily stripped of their right to seek asylum.
Now Tusk demands that the other EU countries approve the measure.
– This is a violation of international law. But we understand the countries. This is a clear security threat, says a high-ranking EU diplomat.
Only one in five is returned
At the same time, several countries, including Germany and France, are demanding stricter rules when it comes to returning refugees and migrants who have been refused asylum.
Italy, for its part, has started sending asylum seekers to prison-like centers in Albania.
Today, only one in five who have been refused asylum is returned. It is too little, states the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in a recent statement letter to the EU countries.
Dealing with this requires a new legal framework, the EU chief points out.
The EU has a return directive, but it goes all the way back to 2009. An attempt to update the directive in 2018 ran aground in the EU parliament, and therefore a new return directive was not part of the asylum pact that was adopted earlier this year.
Became a student
Despite the fact that there is no concrete decision to be made at the summit, the countries can agree on a direction for the way forward.
– There will be an important discussion about what needs to be achieved, says an EU diplomat.
It is also likely that the European Commission will be given marching orders to present a new return directive.
The EU diplomat points out that the return of migrants has now become more important and a separate point in the European Commission’s strategic agenda.
– Two years ago this would have been unthinkable. We have moved, says the person.
One of the reasons is probably the advance of the far right in recent years.
At the same time new shows tall from Frontex that the number of irregular crossings of the EU’s external border has fallen by 42 percent so far this year.
But the number of asylum applications is still as high as before, NTB is told.
Zelenskyj and Ukraine promises
Also at this summit, however, it is Ukraine that – again – is at the top of the agenda.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj is expected in Brussels, where he will present his new peace plan to the European heads of state.
The EU, for its part, will once again declare its unreserved support for Ukraine and promise more weapons.
The hope is also that Hungary will give up its opposition to freezing Russian funds for longer periods at a time. Today, a decision must be made every three months.
If Hungary refuses, it will be possible to reach the goal of the G7 aid package to Ukraine of 45 billion euros before the end of the year.
Clear message to Georgia
In the final declaration, there will probably also be a clear message to Georgia:
The road to EU membership will be closed if the country does not change course and change several controversial laws as soon as possible.
– It is very important to send a strong signal both to the Georgian people and to the Georgian authorities, says one of the EU diplomats.
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