Reforming Asylum Process: Faster Deportations, Greater Cooperation

The European Commission has presented a plan to reform Europe’s asylum system. The plan includes accelerating the asylum process, increasing deportations, and using crisis mechanisms in emergency situations.

The European Commission wants to revive stalled asylum reform negotiations with new proposals including effective deportation of asylum seekers who have received negative responses.

In this proposed plan presented in Brussels, the issue of supporting countries such as Greece and Italy, particularly in returning those who no longer have permission to stay, has been raised.

According to this plan, countries such as Hungary and Poland will only be obliged to accept migrants in exceptional cases.

The European Commission has simultaneously asked EU member states to fulfill their role in a common migration policy during crises.

Cooperation Among EU Member States

In the European Commission’s proposed plan, which must be reviewed by EU member states and the European Parliament, a three-stage process has been outlined.

The plan states that during normal times, EU member states can voluntarily help each other, but if a country comes under pressure, there must be a mechanism to help that country.

Afterward, the Commission will review how many asylum seekers should be accepted from this pressured country. All other countries must help in this regard.

If the situation worsens and a crisis similar to the 2015 crisis occurs, then the crisis mechanism will be activated. In that case, assistance options will be more limited: either migrants are accepted or responsibility for deporting a certain number of asylum seekers who have received rejections is undertaken. These asylum seekers must be deported within eight months, otherwise the country must accept them itself.

Strengthening Border Checks

The plan also addresses the need to change the border screening process. Before a migrant enters a country, a comprehensive examination must be conducted, and their name and fingerprints must be registered. They must also be screened for health and security purposes.

For those coming from countries such as Tunisia and Morocco, the screening process must be completed within 12 weeks. Otherwise, a normal asylum procedure must be implemented for them.

Von der Leyen: Shape Migration Together

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, has asked EU member states to use this plan as an opportunity for unity on the asylum issue, as she believes the old system no longer works.

She said on this matter: “Europe must move away from temporary solutions and introduce a predictable and trustworthy system for managing migration. The time has come for us to face this challenge together with the right balance and with solidarity and responsibility.”

It is unclear what the fate of this plan will be. Similar plans have been proposed in the past, all of which have failed. EU member states have been trying for years to adopt a unified policy on asylum and migration. One reason for the failure of their efforts has been the issue of mandatory distribution of asylum seekers across all EU member states.

Dublin Regulations Remain in Place

Furthermore, the European Commission remains committed to the Dublin Regulations, and this very issue has made reaching agreement more difficult. According to the Dublin Regulations, normally the country where an asylum seeker first sets foot in Europe is responsible for handling their asylum application.

This mechanism has placed excessive pressure on Southern European countries such as Greece and Italy. These countries have long called for increased support for them and mandatory distribution of asylum seekers among other European countries.

On the other hand, countries such as Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Poland have not accepted mandatory acceptance of asylum seekers and firmly reject it.

Source: DW