The European Union opens up to the possibility of creating “hubs for repatriations” of irregular migrants in third countries, but it is something “completely different” compared to the pact between Italy and Albania. Today the European Commission has presented a new regulation to establish a common European system for repatriations, which promises “simpler, simple and effective” procedures throughout the EU.
Different from the Albania model
Among the proposed reforms there is also the possibility for the governments of the blocking of stipulating agreements with third countries willing to welcome irregular migrants, but only those who have received an expulsion order. “This is something completely different from the model of the pact between Italy and Albania, which concerns asylum seekers”, specified the European commissioner for internal affairs and migrations, Magnus Brunner, in the press conference to present the new regulation on repatriated.
“I think it is very important to emphasize that these repatriation hubs are designed for those people who are illegally in the European Union. Therefore, when the final repatriation decisions are taken and these people have already crossed all the procedures in the European Union, including the right of appeal”, added the vice -president of the Commission, Henna Virkkunen.
Increase expulsions
Currently, less than 20 percent of the expulsion decisions are actually followed by a repatriation within the EU and Brussels wants to allow Member States to explore “new solutions” to accelerate this practice. The Commission’s proposal therefore provides for a mechanism that allows Member States to open centers for migrants in countries outside the blockade, through bilateral pacts among the governments concerned.
However, the community executive has no intention of opening its own centers, leaving this task to the Member States. The Commission, therefore, limits itself to creating a legal framework and requires that these pacts comply with international law; For the rest, it will be up to the individual member countries to be able to reach an agreement with a certain nation.
One of the points still to be clarified is those who will establish that a certain country is safe for migrants who will possibly transfer you, since a government’s security criteria could differ from those of Brussels. “The Commission will examine” any agreements, “as international organizations will surely do, such as UNHCR”, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, assured Commissioner Brunner.
Create a European system
The new regulation, which must be approved by Parliament and the EU Council, aims first of all to harmonize the 27 different existing expulsion systems, creating a real European system with common procedures for the issue of repatriation decisions and a European repatriation order issued by the Member States. There are also more severe rules and penalties for rejected asylum seekers who refuse to leave the European territory, including the confiscation of identity documents, the detention – whose maximum period goes from 18 to 24 months – and the extension of the prohibition of entry.
Finally, the regulation introduces the mutual recognition of the expulsion decisions taken by the different states, allowing, for example, that an expulsion decided in Austria can be performed in Spain. However, considering the current difficulties in repatriation the irregular migrants present on their territory, it seems even more complex to be able to expel even those from other member countries.
