The Brief – Solidarity replaced by calls for tougher measures in EU migration debate
The trend appears to include the entire political spectrum, from far-right figures like Geert Wilders to progressive leaders like Olaf Scholz.
“Since 2015 everyone said that I am an idiot or evil to have this point of view. But at the end of the day everyone is going to agree with me in the end," said Viktor Orbán in Strasbourg last week.
The Hungarian prime minister’s words are starting to sound more like a prophecy, as we witness a significant shift in how leaders approach and discuss migration policies in the EU.
The trend appears to encompass the entire political spectrum. From growing calls to opt out of migration policies, led by far-right figures like Geert Wilders in the Netherlands and Viktor Orbán in Hungary, to progressive leaders such as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and even from outside the EU, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, showing interest in Italy’s controversial offshore migration deal with Albania.
Questions persist over what drove this shift in the EU’s migration narrative, as the focus on solidarity, responsibility sharing and unity has now been replaced by member states advocating for tougher measures.
The EU’s migration debate now focuses almost exclusively on combating smugglers, addressing instrumentalisation, tightening border controls, and reinforcing the external dimension of migration.
Externalisation efforts ramped up following the 2015 migration crisis, which highlighted the weaknesses of the EU’s asylum system and exacerbated internal divisions. This crisis underscored the need for a unified and integrated approach across the Union.
“This is also a long-term trend,” said #Giuseppe_Campesi, Associate Professor in Law and Society at the Department of Political Sciences of the University of Bari. “Starting with the agreement with Turkey, then the strengthened collaboration between Italy and Tunisia, and now the European Union’s partnership with Tunisia,” he added.
After the 2015 crisis, the EU has actively pursued reforms to promote a more integrated migration strategy.
After all, as the most quoted saying of founding father Jean Monnet goes, “Europe will be forged in crisis” and will be the “sum of the solutions adopted for those crises.”
In May 2020, the newly established von der Leyen Commission announced its plan to introduce the New Pact on Migration and Asylum, which was ultimately approved in April this year amid considerable criticism from both governments and NGOs.
But it seemed that lessons were learned when, in 2022, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Council unanimously adopted a resolution to activate the Temporary Protection Directive (TPD), reviving the long-dormant “sleeping beauty” of the EU asylum system to welcome Ukrainians fleeing the conflict.
Two years later, however, the Ukrainian crisis stands as a unique circumstance that did not indicate a shift in the European Union’s strategy, especially as the political discourse surrounding migration becomes harsher.
On the eve of the October European Council, which is expected to focus on migration, the push for a stricter migration policy is more evident than ever.
The Commission’s letter sent to member states on Monday (October 14) outlines plans for innovative strategies to combat illegal migration, explicitly mentioning the “development of #return_hubs outside the EU.”
In the approved New Pact, “the idea of containment at the border is very strong, particularly the concept of mandatory border procedures involving detention,” Campesi said.
The new rules will affect border infrastructure by necessitating the establishment of detention centres, imposing significant costs on the countries of first arrival.
“Until now, border procedures existed, but they were not mandatory and did not necessarily involve detention. However, that will no longer be the case,” he added.
The letter sent by the Commission also references the “Italy-Albania protocol,” as the EU “will also be able to draw lessons from this experience in practice,” further normalising the offshore model, that now represents a practice from which the EU can learn and potentially expand.
Just last year, former Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović highlighted some controversial aspects of the pact, stating that it raises concerns for human rights “and adds to a worrying European trend towards the externalisation of asylum responsibilities.”
“It seems that Italy is partially preparing for the implementation of new rules on border asylum procedures and returns, which have yet to be approved but are set to take effect in 2026,” Campesi added.
▻https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/opinion/the-brief-solidarity-replaced-by-calls-for-tougher-measures-in-eu-migratio
#procédure_à_la_frontière #frontières #migrations #réfugiés #asile #pacte #pacte_européen #enfermement #détention #rétention #centres_de_retour #externalisation #modèle_albanais
ping @karine4
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