EU agrees on reinforced external borders for irregular migrants
With irregular migration becoming one of the most pressing issues in the EU, the European Commission chief announces new stricter rules.
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From left, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, and European Council President Charles Michel walk together to a media conference at an EU summit in Brussels, Feb. 9, 2023 (AP)
European Union leaders have agreed on stricter measures to make it easier to expel asylum-seekers whose refugee applications are rejected, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said Friday.
The new rules come in response to the increasing fear in Europe over rising irregular immigration which has become a contentious issue in several member states.
A 16-hour summit attended by EU leaders discussed the "European challenge that requires a European response," in addition to other topics.
The low number of failed asylum-seekers being sent back to their home countries is an EU main preoccupation.
Read: No. of illegal EU border crossings in 2022 hits 6-year high: Frontex
Millions of refugees are being hosted by the bloc from Syria, Ukraine, and Afghanistan, while dealing with asylum claims from citizens of safer countries such as Turkey, Tunisia, and Bangladesh, many end up being considered economic migrants not eligible for asylum.
"Pilot projects" that depend on the bloc's border patrol, asylum, and police cooperation agencies would look to instill "fast and fair asylum procedures" at the EU's external borders, Von der Leyen said.
The EU leaders demanded the commission "to immediately mobilize substantial EU funds" to reinforce that external border with "protection capabilities and infrastructure, means of surveillance, including aerial surveillance, and equipment," according to the summit document.
That decision came after certain EU countries, Austria especially, had pushed the commission to pay for reinforced fences made to prevent irregular migrants from crossing from neighboring non-EU countries, like Turkey. The European Commission chief has repeatedly said EU funds would not pay for fences.
However, EU officials pointed out that in the event Brussels paid for cameras, watch towers, and other infrastructure along the external border, that would free up countries to pour their national budgets into paying for fences.
The summit also agreed on a "principle" under which one EU country can use another EU member state's court decision to send an irregular migrant back to their home country.
The decision would make irregular migrants avoid "asylum shopping" whereby they go to another country to apply to stay after they were turned down in the initial one.
EU leaders agreed on another measure during the summit, "to increase the use of the safe-country concepts" that will open the way to the bloc formulating a common list, von der Leyen said.
Read: EU politicians summoned to The Hague over illegal pushback of refugees
