ENR-EU migration chief: we decide who can come to Europe – and who cannot

A decennary aft a question of migrants began entering the European Union, the bloc’s migration commissioner takes banal and looks guardant to the challenges to come.

Ten years aft the 2015 migration question and Angela Merkel’s celebrated 3 words successful German “ Wir schaffen das” (“ We tin bash this”), Europe’s migration argumentation is erstwhile again astatine a turning point.

For EU Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner, it is simply a infinitesimal to bespeak connected the lessons learned implicit the past decennary – and connected what lies up arsenic migrants and asylum seekers proceed connected their way into the bloc.

In written replies to questions from the European Newsroom (enr), the Austrian Commissioner said the European Union decides who does oregon doesn’t transverse its borders. To negociate the further accomplishment of migrants from extracurricular the EU, helium called for much effectual returns and stronger practice with 3rd countries.

Question: Ten years aft the 2015 exile crisis, the EU has implemented important argumentation reforms, including the caller Pact connected Migration and Asylum. However, galore challenges – specified arsenic uneven burden-sharing and persistent precocious numbers of arrivals – stay unresolved. What factual steps is the EU taking to guarantee that the lessons of 2015 are afloat implemented and that subordinate states stock work much equitably successful aboriginal migration crises?

Answer: “ Europe has been confronted with a bid of challenges successful the country of migration implicit the past 10 years and has shown bonzer responsibility. These challenges exposed intelligibly wherever the weaknesses successful our asylum strategy lie. And we are addressing them. I deliberation the biggest acquisition we learnt is that successful a European Union of 27 Member States, migration is an contented that indispensable beryllium addressed jointly. After 10 years of negotiations, we are putting successful spot a modern migration strategy that restores power implicit who tin travel to Europe – and who cannot.

At present, we are inactive applying the aged ineligible framework. With the afloat introduction into unit of the Pact for Migration and Asylum successful June 2026, on with our different proposals for much effectual returns and stronger practice with 3rd countries on the route, this is changing. In areas wherever we stepped up our cooperation, we spot a important driblet successful irregular arrivals, specified arsenic the Western Balkans (-95% driblet since 2022) and the Central Mediterranean (-60% driblet since 2022).”

Q: The EU has promised “ ne'er again” – yet we inactive spot chaotic scenes astatine Europe’s outer borders. Can you sanction a fewer factual examples however Frontex and the EU arsenic a full changed its people towards a much humane attraction aft the galore accusations of convulsive pushbacks successful the past?

A: “ To forestall radical from going connected unsafe journeys, we request [to] prosecute with 3rd countries on the way arsenic good arsenic successful countries of origin. For this, we request to enactment connected broad partnerships to guarantee that migration issues tin beryllium addressed. And we are moving with assorted tools, specified arsenic visa policy, commercialized and besides improvement aid, to execute this.

When it comes to our outer borders, determination are nary ifs oregon buts: quality and cardinal rights indispensable beryllium respected. This is what makes america European.

Frontex supports Member States successful protecting their outer borders by providing method and operational support. Frontex was equipped with a caller mandate successful 2019, which already went a agelong mode successful strengthening the agency’s cardinal rights extortion system, including done the Fundamental Rights Officer, who is liable for monitoring compliance with cardinal rights and handles each ailment individually. We privation to spell further and volition update Frontex’s mandate again to guarantee the EU’s borderline bureau is equipped for the future. The beingness of Frontex teams actively contributes to situational consciousness and enactment Member States successful their work to support the Union’s outer borders.”

Q: Ten years on, has the EU learned to instrumentality a antithetic attack oregon volition it proceed to prosecute solutions specified arsenic outsourcing the migration challenges to countries similar Albania and Tunisia, done the upcoming Return Hubs, alternatively of solving the puzzle in-house?

A: “ The Commission is implementing a two-track attack of pursuing sustainable structural betterment alongside targeted operational effect including done broad partnerships with spouse countries. Agreement connected the Pact connected Migration and Asylum reforms allows the EU to crook the leafage connected past fractures and consolidate a communal attack to migration and borderline management. In different words, we are getting our European location successful order, and ensuring that we person the close ineligible model to beryllium capable to acceptable up fast, businesslike and streamlined procedures for asylum and instrumentality and a harmonised strategy for managing the accomplishment of non-EU nationals.

At the aforesaid time, we cognize that migration does not commencement nor extremity astatine our borders, truthful we request to measurement up our engagement with 3rd countries successful a whole-of-route attack to migration management. The Commission works with Member States successful a Team Europe attack to deepen broad partnerships based connected communal interests, of which migration is often one. This attack has besides allowed an intensification of operational enactment with partners spanning the afloat scope of migration and displacement-related practice – tackling basal causes, extortion of refugees and susceptible migrants and the related challenges, strengthening borderline management, preventing irregular departures and tackling the trafficking successful quality beings oregon smuggling of migrants, stepping up returns, readmission and reintegration, and creating ineligible pathways.”

Q: Evidence suggests that the situation led to a nonaccomplishment of nationalist spot successful institutions and accrued governmental polarization astir migration. How does the EU program to rebuild nationalist spot and foster a much evidence-based, little politicized statement connected migration, particularly successful the look of rising anti-immigration sentiment crossed respective subordinate states?

A: “ From my perspective, the precedence connected migration should beryllium to [instill] assurance among radical that we person power implicit what happens successful Europe. To execute this, we indispensable negociate migration successful a just and steadfast mode portion coordinating our actions astatine the European level. This means establishing wide rules astir who tin enter, enactment in, and who indispensable permission the EU. It besides involves moving unneurotic to code our shared challenges.

What radical rightfully expect from america arsenic European institutions and nationalist governments is the quality to code the challenges we face. We person to perceive to people’s concerns and prosecute superior policies that supply solutions for these concerns. And we request to enactment unneurotic arsenic [a] Commission, Member States and Parliament to deliver.“

The European Union’s Pact connected Migration and Asylum is acceptable to participate into unit successful June 2026. It is simply a acceptable of caller rules managing migration and establishing a communal asylum strategy astatine EU level. According to EU borderline bureau Frontex, it “ volition guarantee that the Union has beardown and unafraid outer borders, that people’s rights are guaranteed, and that nary EU state is near unsocial erstwhile nether pressure.”

source ANA-MPA