Migration to Europe: EU tightens the screw – 20 minutes

Ladies and gentlemen, gather around! The European Union is tightening its migration screws like it’s a game of Twister gone wrong, and we’ve got Ursula von der Leyen at the helm. Forget about the usual “left foot red, right foot blue” — it’s more like “one foot out, back to where you came from!”

That’s right; we’re talking about a new draft law that aims to speed up the expulsion of migrants who entered illegally. Because nothing says “Welcome to Europe!” quite like “Pack your bags, you’re outta here!” But, hey, if you can’t convince ‘em to leave with a warm cookie and a smile, why not just give ‘em a one-way ticket home?

Streamlining Deportations – A New EU Sport?

It seems like a competitive sport is brewing over in Brussels: the “Fastest Deportation Olympics.” Ursula has proclaimed that we need a legal framework that’s as solid as a Jenga tower — though one wrong move, and it all comes tumbling down! We need “harmonization and trust,” she says. To which the rest of us think, “Trust, like IKEA furniture, is only good until you lose a screw.”

Experts Weigh In: “Wait, Is This a Joke?”

Migration experts are jumping in to say this reform could be more problematic than a cat at a dog show! The recently agreed-upon reforms were already seen as dodgy with respect to human rights and the rule of law. Turns out, the EU might not just be tightening the screws; they’re rusting them out too! And what’s coming up next? A half-baked asylum system that might as well come with a “no returns” policy? Bon appétit!

Poland’s Border Drama: Russia’s Migrant Mystery

Speaking of dramatic policies, Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced a partial suspension of asylum rights, throwing accusations at Russia and Belarus like they’re playing dodgeball. Who would’ve thought a few migrants could create such a ruckus? It’s like they’re allergic to stability! Apparently, the right to asylum is being tested like a bad Tinder date: “You just don’t look like you belong here!”

Italy’s Albanian Adventure

Meanwhile, Italy has decided to take a slightly different approach, sending migrants to refugee camps in Albania. Because when in doubt, ship ‘em out! It’s like a holiday for migrants—only they don’t get to pick the destination (or the weather). In Shengjin, they’ll be schmoozing it up while waiting for their fate. What is this, a vacation retreat or an episode of ‘Survivor: Migration Edition’?

Border Controls: France and Germany Step Up

And let’s not ignore our friends France and Germany, who are treating border controls like the last piece of pizza at a party — “Get your hands off it!” France decided that controls from 2015 are still necessary because who doesn’t love a good restriction? Germany hopped on the bandwagon with flying colors—2,500 unauthorized entries intercepted in just a fortnight. At this rate, they’ll start issuing ‘Return to Sender’ postcards!

So, What’s Next?

As we hurtle toward this grand summit in Brussels, where Poland and the Czech Republic are waving their flags for a tougher migration agenda, the question remains: is anyone actually listening? Or is this all just a raucous game of political charades with no winner in sight?

One thing’s for sure: the EU migration saga is unfolding like a bad soap opera. Grab the popcorn, folks!

Published15. October 2024, 12:57

New EU law: controls and asylum stops: Europe is tightening the migration screw

Refugee camps in Albania and faster deportations: Recently, various EU countries have significantly tightened their migration processes. The European Union is now planning a new legal framework to make the return process more effective.

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• Ursula von der Leyen has presented a new draft law on the repatriation of migrants.

• This is intended to enable people who entered the country illegally to be returned to their countries of origin more quickly.

• Meanwhile, various EU countries have already tightened their migration regulations.

Brussels wants to present a new draft law on the repatriation of migrants who entered the country illegally. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced this in a letter to the 27 member states published on Monday evening. The EU Commission’s proposal will contain “clear cooperation obligations for returned persons” and is intended to “effectively streamline the return process”.

“But we need a new legal framework to improve our ability to act,” von der Leyen added in the letter. Countries would have to build “a level of harmonization and trust” so that each member state recognizes the other’s decision. This would ensure that “migrants who have been subject to a return decision in one country cannot exploit loopholes in the system to avoid return in another country.”

Migration experts are critical of the EU reform

It was only in the spring that the EU member states laboriously agreed on a reform of the Common European Asylum System (GEAS), which, among other things, provides for stricter deportation rules. Since then, the Netherlands and Hungary, among others, have demanded to be excluded from the common asylum rules. However, such opt-outs require an EU treaty change that all member states must agree to.

The Geas reform agreed in the spring is scheduled to apply from June 2026. This will, among other things, make faster asylum procedures possible directly at the EU’s external borders for the first time. Leading migration experts consider Geas to be problematic in terms of the rule of law and human rights.

Poland wants to partially suspend asylum law

On Saturday, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also announced that he wanted to partially suspend the right to asylum. He accused Russia and its neighboring country Belarus of deliberately smuggling migrants across the Polish borders and thus wanting to destabilize the EU. “The way in which this right to asylum is used contradicts the very essence of the right to asylum,” explained Tusk. Brussels emphasized that as an EU member Poland has “the obligation to ensure access to the asylum procedure” – however, the EU agrees with the allegations against Russia and Belarus.

Italy sends the first migrants to refugee camps in Albania

Meanwhile, Italy opened two asylum centers in Albania this week. The migrants are to be identified and given initial care in a reception camp in Shengjin on the coast. The Italian authorities have set up three areas in the second asylum camp: Most of the facility in Gjader houses those asylum seekers who are waiting for an answer.

The second area is a deportation center, the third is a detention center for asylum seekers who have committed criminal offenses in the camp. A navy ship with a first group of migrants is already on its way to the Albanian camps.

Warsaw criticizes German border controls

France recently announced that it would maintain the border controls in place since 2015 “as long as necessary”. Germany has also reintroduced controls at all borders since mid-September. In the first two weeks, the federal police prevented 2,500 unauthorized entries and arrested 49 smugglers. The country also wants to significantly increase the return rate: “The number of returns is increasing – by 20 percent this year, but we have to do better,” said Chancellor Olaf Scholz recently.

Poland and the Czech Republic want to put migration on the agenda at the meeting of EU heads of state and government in Brussels at the end of the week. Both countries are calling for tougher action and faster deportations at the EU’s external borders. At the same time, they criticize border controls within the EU, as Germany recently reintroduced them.

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