Brussels, 24/03/2011 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 24 March, European Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmström provided a report back on her visit to Egypt made the previous day with the Hungarian Presidency of the EU. As requested by the European Council on 11 March, this visit was intended to establish initial contact with countries of the region in an effort to discuss migration issues. As Malmström indicated on Thursday, this also provided an opportunity to discuss future mobility partnerships and visa exchanges, border management and controls, as well as asylum systems. The Commission has proposed helping Egypt develop an asylum system, indicated the commissioner. The commissioner also met representatives from the International Organisation for Migration working in the field, as well as the High Commission for Refugees and several NGOs, to analyse the situation affecting migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, who are currently blocked at the border.
Next week Commissioner Malmström will travel to Tunisia, to again discuss questions concerning migratory flows. While Italy continues to call for assistance from the EU and its European counterparts (after having taken in more than 10,000 migrants since January on the island of Lampedusa, most of them Tunisians), Tunisia appears to be refusing to take back the Tunisian migrants who have travelled to Italy. This is a problem that the European commissioner is also expected to discuss next week with the Tunisian authorities.
In the meantime, on Friday 25 March another meeting, organised on the initiative of the Commission, will bring together representatives from home affairs ministries. This meeting was planned a few days ago and is expected to tackle the question of relocating certain migrants in the EU and between the different member states, particularly those who are blocked in these regions and who require international protection. The commissioner indicated that this meeting would not be able to reach a final decision immediately but would allow them to launch an initial debate and sound out member states about their willingness to participate. As the commissioner pointed out, it will ultimately be member states that have the last word and “relocation” will only be done on a voluntary basis. The Commission can only operate if there is willingness from the member states, explained the commissioner. Nevertheless, she did say that “member states have expressed an interest” in this mechanism.
Migratory flows and cooperation between member states and countries of the region on this issue may also be the subject of a Special Home Affairs Council, as indicated on 11 March by certain delegations, particularly France, which would have liked, according to one source, such a meeting to be arranged before the JHA Council already planned for 10-11 April in Luxembourg. France said that the current situation warranted a special JHA meeting. The issue is also expected to be put on the agenda of the European Council on 24-25 March. AFP has indicated that Italy is determined to discuss again the principle of solidarity between member states and “burden” sharing in the arena of illegal immigration and asylum. (S.P./transl.fl)