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After three years of intense negotiations and tough discussions, the European Union has managed to take the first step towards an important agreement on the establishment of a unified immigration policy.
In a discussion held yesterday at the Home Affairs Council, in the presence of the Minister of Interior Mr. Constantinos Ioannou, the 27 ministers managed to reach a general approach on the texts of the two regulations, which are part of the Pact on Immigration and Asylum, despite individual differences of opinion.
After consultations which lasted until late in the evening, it was possible to reach agreement in principle on a set of rules for collective action in the field of the management and relocation of asylum seekers, but also to find common ground on the fair sharing of the burden through solidarity.
Mr Ioannou, in his intervention during the Council's proceedings, referred to the increased difficulties that Cyprus has had to face in the last 6 years due to the systematic movement of migrants from Turkey through the Green Line and recalled that Cyprus is waiting for the completion of the Action Plan for the Eastern Mediterranean, in order to create conditions for the discharge of the country's asylum system.
He acknowledged the clear difficulties in finding a balance between Member States and expressed Cyprus' readiness to show the necessary flexibility to enable an agreement to be reached. However, he underlined that significant concessions had been made throughout this effort and called for a corresponding understanding of the concerns of the frontline Member States.
In particular, he stressed that the inclusion of a provision to ensure in advance the possibility to return persons entering illegally or having links to the country of return before the start of the procedure jeopardises the possibility of a fast-track procedure and should therefore be reconsidered.
At the same time, he underlined that it is a general principle for Cyprus to ensure that requests for support submitted by a Member State facing excessive pressure are met swiftly on the basis of the needs identified by that Member State, including the measure of redistribution as a form of practical solidarity.
On the issue of the suspension of border procedures as a consequence of increased migratory pressures, Mr. Ioannou in his statement noted that it is important to ensure that such an intention is notified to the European Commission without complicated procedures that would paralyse the ability to react immediately, a position shared by the European partners.
The compromise reached last night by Member States' Home Affairs Ministers represents a "delicate balance" between solidarity and responsibility and attempts to allay the concerns of both the frontline Member States, which bear the brunt of The current arrangements create a more binding dimension, which will include relocations of third-country nationals to other Member States on the basis of numbers to be drawn up by the European Commission, or, alternatively, the provision of financial and logistical support. The finalisation of the text and the start of consultations with the European Parliament and the European Commission is expected in the near future.
Mr Ioannou returns to Cyprus today.
(EFYs/NG/EXP)
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