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European Commission chief takes on fight against illegal immigrants
Tackling illegal immigration is a key agenda item at the European Union (EU) summit on 17 October. As Europeans become increasingly frustrated with the influx of immigrants, far-right parties are on the rise and some EU countries continue to ignore pan-European migration policies, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said. This would significantly strengthen Brussels’ hand. Ahead of the two-day summit, she put forward a proposal, which she recently rejected, that would set up more “return centres” outside the EU to turn away people whose asylum applications are still being processed and those who have already been rejected.
Compared to the peak of the refugee crisis in 2015, when more than a million refugees arrived in Europe almost simultaneously, the current influx of illegal immigrants may seem relatively modest. However, immigration has remained a highly sensitive issue, strongly fueling far-right sentiment among voters and influencing election results in several European countries (especially Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany, France and Austria).
Amid voters' frustration with the constant influx of illegal immigrants into their countries, some EU member states have found it acceptable to ignore key principles of common European migration and asylum policy.
The latest example of this behavior is the decision by Polish authorities this week to stop granting asylum to migrants crossing the Polish border from Belarus. Germany introduced border controls for all its neighbors a month ago, and France, Denmark, Sweden, Austria, Italy and Slovenia have since partially followed suit.
Against this backdrop, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen appears to have decided that if the rebellion cannot be suppressed, it must be led. Ahead of the summit scheduled for 17-18 October, Ms von der Leyen wrote a seven-page letter to EU member state leaders outlining her ideas for reducing the number of asylum applications by 10 points. In 2023, that figure would reach 1.14 million. We are fighting illegal border crossings.
One of the main proposals is to create so-called repatriation centres in third countries. Here, EU countries can send people whose asylum applications are still being processed and those who have already been rejected, naturally free of charge.
Ursula von der Leyen mentioned the agreement between Italy and Albania, under which Rome will be able to send up to 36,000 migrants a year to Albanian centers (where they will stay until their asylum applications are processed). At first glance, it is noteworthy that many in Europe are highly critical of this Italian know-how, believing that outsourcing that welcomes unwanted guests violates human rights and fundamental EU values. However, in recent years, the problem of illegal immigration has led more and more European politicians to take an interest in the Italian experience. The outcome of the agreement between Rome and Tirana could determine the next steps in the EU's common immigration policy, including the head of the EU executive, who said in the letter.
Ms von der Leyen also floated the idea of striking deals with more African countries where migrants enter or pass through the EU. The aim is to slow it down in Africa itself. Brussels has recently signed such deals with Turkey, Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. The governments of these countries have received EU funding to combat illegal border crossings and smuggling. In a new move, the Commission president proposed similar deals with Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania, Senegal and Mali.
Another idea that is sure to be enthusiastically supported by every EU country, even those whose migrants are treated most humanely, is to speed up the deportation of illegal immigrants and ensure that migrants expelled from one EU country are actually being taken out of the bloc if they simply move elsewhere. You will be expelled. The EU’s problems are indeed serious. By most estimates, up to 30% of the total number of illegal immigrants who are subject to deportation decisions end up returning to their countries of origin.
Just last week, representatives from 17 EU countries addressed the European Commission, calling jointly for a “paradigm shift” in deportations. “Those who have no right to stay must be held accountable. A new legal framework must clearly define their duties and responsibilities. Failure to cooperate has consequences and must be punished,” the signatories said.
Indeed, Ms von der Leyen's latest letter was a sign that the EU leadership had heard these statements.
Moreover, according to a number of European media outlets, Brussels plans to toughen punishment not only for illegal immigrants, but also for countries that refuse to accept their citizens expelled from the EU.
In particular, a tightening of the visa regime for these countries is expected, as well as the introduction of a number of trade restrictions.
It is unlikely that these ideas will be formalized as a final decision following this summit. This will probably be done at the December summit. Incidentally, this will certainly influence the EU's decision on Ukraine, which will be one of the main topics of the upcoming meeting, which will also be attended by Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky. Already on Thursday, European Council President Charles Michel announced on the X social network that the Ukrainian president should present his "victory plan" to his European colleagues.
The plan announced by President Zelensky at a session of the Verkhovna Rada on Wednesday includes, among other things, strengthening sanctions against Russia. However, as reported by numerous European media, the final draft of the summit does not mention new anti-Russian sanctions. Instead, the leaders will reiterate the need for "additional measures to ensure full and effective implementation of sanctions and counteract the circumvention of sanctions through third countries." As for financial assistance to Ukraine, this issue has not been resolved. Although the EU agreed to allocate an additional 35 billion euros to Kyiv in the form of frozen assets of the Russian central bank by 2025, the association countries have not yet agreed to extend the freeze on these assets from the current six months to 36 months.