Immigration policy is one of those that generates the most tension in the community club and, on the eve of the meeting of the leaders of the 27, the debate has been heating up with proposals that increasingly toughen the conditions for migrants: from the imposition of border controls within the Schengen area until the temporary suspension of the right to asylum announced by Poland following in the footsteps of Finland. And the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, takes up the gauntlet. 72 hours before sitting down with the heads of government, he formally proposes to them what he already defended in the middle of the electoral campaign: the establishment of refugee centers outside the borders of the EU.
In a letter sent to the capitals, the German company is committed to a review of safe third countries and is committed to continuing to explore “ways of progress regarding the idea of developing return centers outside the EU.” Von der Leyen camouflages the measure in a supposedly humanitarian approach to migration so that people fleeing misery do not jump into the sea. However, it does not mention the need to establish legal and safe routes, which is what Spain defends, for example. What underlies the proposal is that migrants do not reach European soil. “Once someone enters the border, we will not be able to kick them out later,” said the Hungarian far-right Viktor Orbán last week in the European Parliament, where he defended the creation of these centers.
Von der Leyen frames the approach to detention centers outside European territory in the review of the returns directive that has been demanded by a majority of member states, which have even gone so far as to defend that the expulsions of people without papers be carried out third countries other than those of origin or transit. That is a point that the president of the European Commission does not reach. What does guide the new perspective regarding detention centers is the immigration policy of the far-right Giorgia Meloni. “With the beginning of the operations of the Italy-Albania protocol, we will be able to draw lessons from this experience in practice,” the letter states.
The head of the community government defends agreements with third countries, such as Tunisia or Morocco, which control migratory flows in exchange for million-dollar compensation. And it leaves black and white the possibility of using visa policy or trade as pressure tools for these countries to collaborate, especially with returns.
“The EU must be willing to use its influence not only on visa policy, but also in other areas, such as trade. Extending the current Regulation on the Generalized System of Preferences until December 2027 without readmission conditions, despite the Commission’s proposal, is a missed opportunity that must be corrected at the first possible opportunity,” Von der Leyen urges in reference to the instrument. through which the EU provides non-reciprocal preferential access to the community market for products originating in developing countries and territories through the total or partial exemption of tariff duties.
The president of the European Commission is also committed to accelerating the implementation of the Migration and Asylum Pact that the EU agreed to a few months ago and whose entry into force is scheduled for the summer of 2026. Spain, France and Germany have defended the need to accelerate the application. However, there were differences regarding which parts to carry forward. While governments like the German one are committed to giving priority to matters related to security and border control, Pedro Sánchez’s Executive is in favor of the entire agreement being in force at the same time, so that the elements related to the “solidarity”, that is, to the distribution of refugee quotas.
“Moving rapidly in the implementation of the Pact could help Member States to manage their registration systems and reception systems more efficiently, better manage asylum procedures for security cases or abusive or unfounded claims (…), reduce secondary movements, while introducing elements of the solidarity mechanism,” writes Von der Leyen, who points out the possibility of “accelerating the application of some elements of the pact” while maintaining “the balance between solidarity and responsibility.”
Source: www.eldiario.es
