Brussels, 11/09/2015 (Agence Europe) - The EU delegation in Algeria reports that on Thursday 10 September the EU and Algeria had “technical” discussions in Algiers on “migration, mobility and security”. These consultations are not apparently negotiations, but an information dialogue session organised in partnership with Algeria's ministry of foreign affairs and other “relevant Algerian institutions”.
The EU presented its Agenda for Migration at these discussions, ahead of an exchange of views on the migration and asylum situation in Algeria - the conclusion of which was not revealed. It is known that the EU wants to bring all the partners from the southern shore of the Mediterranean to “readmission agreements”. This means requesting these countries' commitment to taking back all migrants coming from the country itself or who have transited through its territory and been turned away from Europe. The topic is sensitive given the current context. Only Libya in Gaddafi's time had agreed to committing to this path.
The European Commission has been constantly concerned by this for years, and especially so since December 2005. It had announced at that time that concrete recommendations were being established and it affirmed that it was “laying the foundations” for a “comprehensive approach on the issue of migration”. The basis was a decision from the European Council of December 2005 which stated that account had been taken of the growing migratory pressure and that the EU should thus step up its efforts considerably. The decision stated that the EU's driving principles were to be solidarity between the member states, partnership with third countries and respect for migrants' rights. From this time, the Commission proposed strengthening the dialogue with Africa and launching an EU programme on migration and development. (Fathi B'Chir)