Fences, controls, deportations – the EU relies on isolation

Polish border

Several countries are now building fences at the EU’s external borders.

(Photo: imago images/NurPhoto)

Brussels The EU countries want to take more action against illegal immigrants. At their special summit, several heads of government called for a tougher course. “We have to apply the brakes on asylum throughout the European Union,” said Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer on Thursday in Brussels. The problem of irregular migration is “back in full”.

Nehammer called for more money for the countries with EU external borders. These states must be signaled that they will not be left alone, said the Austrian. “Bulgaria, for example, needs concrete help.” The repatriation of rejected asylum seekers must also be accelerated.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte also called for quick action because the number of asylum seekers was increasing in many countries. Making a big deal with Turkey like in 2016 is not enough, said Rutte. At that time, the EU had agreed with Ankara to accommodate millions of war refugees from Syria in Turkish refugee camps. This time, many small measures are needed to “bring migration under control,” said Rutte.

It is the first time since 2018 that the issue of migration has been discussed at an EU summit. Austria and the Netherlands had called for the crisis meeting. Sweden, which will hold the EU Council Presidency in the first half of 2023, and Italy also want to make the issue an EU priority. Sweden’s new center-right coalition led by Ulf Kristersson is governing with the support of the right-wing Sweden Democrats, while post-fascist Giorgia Meloni has been in power in Italy for several months.

In Germany, too, the topic is pushing upwards. The municipalities complain that the burden is already as high as during the refugee crisis of 2015/2016. Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) has therefore invited the next week to the refugee summit with the federal states and municipalities.

Refugee numbers partly higher than 2016

In fact, the number of refugees in the EU is higher in many places than in 2016 due to the Ukraine war. More than a million Ukraine refugees live in Germany alone. Ukrainians do not have to apply for asylum, they receive temporary protection throughout the EU.

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In addition, there are increasing numbers of asylum seekers from other countries. Almost a million people applied for asylum in the EU last year. According to the EU Commission, 60 percent of applicants have no right to international protection and would therefore have to be deported again. However, EU governments have been struggling with deportations for years because identification documents are missing or individual countries of origin do not want to take back their citizens.

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In the draft of the summit declaration, the heads of government are now calling for visa policy to be used as a means of exerting pressure to persuade the countries of origin to cooperate. For example, states could make it more difficult for a country’s citizens to obtain visas if their government does not take back rejected asylum seekers. According to the draft, the EU must leverage all relevant instruments, including diplomacy, development aid, trade and visas, to ensure returns.

New EU funds for border infrastructure

They also promise “more effective external border controls”. Border fences can contribute to this. Several countries have already started construction, and additional European financial aid is now to flow. The word fence does not appear in the draft declaration because some states, including Germany, are opposed to it. Instead, funds are to be made available for “infrastructure, surveillance and equipment”.

>> Read here: The EU wants to increase the number of deportations

Austria’s Chancellor Nehammer was satisfied with the draft. “The key is that funds are made available,” he said. “Whether some say fences and others technical infrastructure – what matters is that Bulgaria is helped.” “

Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) said that “good common formulations” had been found on the fence question. In order to increase the number of returns, an agreement must be reached with the countries of origin. He hopes that there will be a common line by the end of the year. It doesn’t make sense to go from one summit to the next with decisions.

Karl Nehammer

The Austrian Chancellor calls for help for the countries on the EU’s external borders.

(Photo: dpa)

However, the new deportation discussion cannot hide the fact that the basic conflict between the transit countries and the destination countries in the EU remains. Countries like the Netherlands insist on compliance with the Dublin Agreement, according to which refugees must apply for asylum in the country where they first set foot on European soil.

The pressure on Italy, Greece and Co. is growing to register every refugee. In return, the Mediterranean countries are demanding more support with registration and accommodation, as well as a European distribution of refugees. However, the latter regularly fails in the EU Council. A sustainable solution for migration is still not in sight.

More: Where refugees come to Germany from – the most important facts in twelve graphics

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