The number of irregular immigrants should decrease in the EU. But how? The summit lacked new ideas. The EU relies on better cooperation with countries of origin and more returns. Bernd Riegert from Brussels.
Until 2:20 a.m. on Friday morning, the EU summit was brewing in the “Space Egg” conference building in Brussels
After Ukrainian President Volodymyr Szelenskyj had private talks with almost every one of the 27 heads of state and government at the European Union summit and was also received by the King of the Belgians, Philippe, he traveled towards Kyiv in the evening away. The summit round had assured him of the solidarity and support of the EU and after Zelenskyj's departure it was devoted to the issues that were otherwise on the political agenda. The special summit was originally convened for this Thursday in December to discuss the EU's muddled common migration policy.
Number of migrants is increasing
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had prepared some display boards to once again show the heads of government the seriousness of the situation. The number of asylum seekers in the EU in 2022 increased drastically by 46 percent compared to the previous year. In addition to the 924,000 asylum seekers, there are around four million Ukrainian war refugees. Countries like Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and Belgium feel overwhelmed when it comes to accommodating the many people. “Migration is a European challenge that needs a European response,” said von der Leyen. The summit made that clear again.
Olaf Scholz: A moving summit, not because of the results on migration, but because of the meeting with the Ukrainian President Selenskyj
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who is under pressure domestically because of the high number of immigrants, said in Brussels that it was important to develop “common perspectives”. He thinks that's possible. Now is not the time when new decisions are made from conference to conference, but when common goals are defined at the end, which could be translated into practical politics this year. However, for at least six years, the European Union has been trying to convert already defined objectives – namely the reduction in migration figures – into practical laws. The EU Commission has repeatedly put a number of legislative proposals and pacts on the table. So far, however, the member states have not been able to agree on any major new regulations.
Unresolved conflicts within the EU
The countries at the external borders of the EU, i.e. Greece, Italy, Croatia, Bulgaria, Malta and Cyprus, have been complaining for years about the burden being too high, while countries of destination for migrants such as Germany, Austria and France have been insisting for years that the countries of first entry at the external borders are responsible for migrants and asylum procedures. The distribution of migrants – according to quotas or voluntarily – has repeatedly failed. The relocation of the asylum procedure to asylum centers in southern Europe or even to North Africa has not progressed beyond the planning phase. Countries like Sweden, Denmark, Poland and Hungary have had restrictive policies towards migrants from the Middle East and Africa for years. However, Denmark has just abandoned its plan to transfer asylum procedures to Rwanda because of too many practical and legal obstacles.
EU Commission President von der Leyen (left) sees the will to reach an agreement on migration issues (here with guest Selenskyj and Council President Michel)
At this summit in Brussels, the EU Commission tried a new approach and proposed better protection of the EU's external borders. This means preventing border crossings outside of border crossing points at the “green border”. In addition, repatriation agreements are to be negotiated with the countries of origin and transit countries of the migrants. This is certainly not a new approach either. For the first time, the EU Commission expressly recommends using development aid, trade agreements and visa regulations as leverage in order to be able to conclude repatriation agreements. The federal government has so far resisted this approach. Chancellor Scholz said that repatriations could only succeed if “fair agreements” were reached with the countries of origin.
More deportations as a solution?
The participants at the summit spoke out in favor of increasing the number of deportations and repatriations of rejected asylum seekers. Overall, the return rate is 21 percent. This means that of the 340,000 foreigners who were required to leave the EU in 2021, only 70,500 actually left the EU. How more deportations are to be achieved remains rather unclear even after reading the summit resolutions. The EU asylum agency “EASO” based in Malta is being asked to draft guidelines for deportations and criteria for mutual recognition of deportation decisions. According to the summit declaration, all member states should then adhere to them.
Reception facility for asylum seekers in Brandenburg: German municipalities complain that the numbers are too high
Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke out in favor of allowing more legal immigration instead of irregular migration, because the aging societies in the EU ultimately needed skilled workers on the labor market. He did not give details of a possible procedure. “We are not yet together on all points,” said Scholz. But overall, the discussion is less excited than in 2014 and 2015, when more than a million people came to the EU from the civil war in Syria.
The EU Commission also proposes to once again address the sensitive issue of the solidarity distribution of migrants and refugees in the EU, which has led to bitter disputes between the member states for years. The so-called internal migration, i.e. the onward movement of migrants from Greece through numerous EU countries to Germany or Austria, should also be discussed, the commission recommends. This suggestion does not appear in the summit resolutions.
More fences?
The Federal Chancellor of Austria, Karl Nehammer, also demanded at the summit that the EU should co-finance fences at the external borders, for example between Bulgaria and Turkey. The EU Commission, Luxembourg, Germany and others have so far refused to finance walls and fences. However, for years the EU has been paying subsidies for surveillance technology, equipment for border guards, means of communication and for the staff of the border protection agency Frontex. The EU Commission is to present a “comprehensive strategy for border management” soon. Commission President von der Leyen announced two pilot projects in which border controls and registration of asylum seekers are to be tested.
< p>Border fence between Turkey and Greece. The EU has been sealing itself off here for a long time.
Fences and fortified border structures have been growing at various external borders of the EU for years, especially in Greece, Bulgaria, Hungary, Croatia, Poland, Lithuania and also Spain. It's now around 2000 kilometers. Ten years ago it was only 300 kilometers. Italy wants to make its ports as tight as possible for immigrants and give private sea rescue ships stricter rules.
The European Union's foreign policy officer, Josep Borrell, said at the summit in Brussels that the construction of a “Fortress Europe” won't help in the long run. “People are leaving their countries because they have no future there, no peace, no stability,” said Borrell. That is why there must be more legal routes to Europe.