German Interior Minister Nancy Feather is promoting an initiative to create a coalition of European states willing to accept refugees, a proposal welcomed by the European Commission.
In a statement to Welt newspaper, the Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ilva Johansson, admitted that closer cooperation between specific member states could help the EU move towards finding common solutions. That is why she welcomes the federal government's effort to gain the support of other countries, if it helps to find a compromise and pass legislative proposals and structural reforms in immigration policy.
ef Welt recalls that Austria has rejected Minister Feser's proposal and points to a statement by Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Kraner that Austria will not accept new migrants on its own, as, in proportion to its population, between January and September 2021 it has received significantly more asylum applications than Germany.
The paper notes that while some steps have been taken to create a common asylum system, the biggest obstacle remains the relocation of refugees within the EU, as many countries refuse to accept migrants from Mediterranean countries based on a redistribution mechanism. This is why Germany's Federal Minister of the Interior has proposed that this be done by a group of willing countries. The problem, however, is that only a few - and mostly small - countries agree to join this alliance, such as Portugal, Ireland, Sweden, Croatia, Romania, Luxembourg, but also France and Germany.
France, which holds the presidency of the EU this semester, wants to promote a new initiative for a "gradual implementation" of the relocation solution. According to diplomatic sources, France wants the protection of external borders to be improved first, before partners discuss again the rates of admission of new migrants in member states.
The aim is for the forthcoming Council of EU interior ministers to agree on the Commission's proposal to introduce security screening immediately after the arrival of migrants through a data bank, and indeed the biometric data of migrants could remain stored in the Eurodac database for years.
The aim is for the forthcoming Council of EU interior ministers to reach an agreement on the Commission's proposal to introduce security screening immediately after the arrival of migrants through a data bank, and indeed the biometric data of migrants could remain stored in the Eurodac database for years. In addition, there will be an initial medical check and an examination of whether these persons are in need of international protection. In order to implement the above, the Mediterranean countries will have to receive funds and staff from the EU, as well as a first voluntary commitment to receive refugees from other countries.
President Macron will be present at the Council of Interior Ministers next week to give a new impetus to the effort to create a European immigration management system.
Source: CNA
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