Brussels, 12/10/2015 (Agence Europe) - “Hotspot” facilities should be operational in Greece in about ten days' time, with the first at Mytilene on the island of Lesbos, Luxembourg Immigration and Asylum Minister Jean Asselborn announced on Saturday 10 October, during a visit to Greece with European Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos.
Four further hotspots on the Greek islands will be set up subsequently, with the Port of Piraeus currently the centre from which the logistics of these hotspots are being organised. Greek Minister Delegate for Immigration Yannis Mouzalas said that the country's five hotspots would be operational “in a month's time”. Asselborn and Avramopoulos are expected to return to Mytilene to check progress at the end of this week.
On Saturday 10 October, the two men travelled to the Greek islands to assess the migration situation. In a report published on 7 October, Frontex says that one migrant in five who entered the EU in the second quarter of 2015 did so via the island of Lesbos, with Pakistanis forming the largest national group. Syrians arrived mainly on the island of Charos, while, in Samos, most migrants were from Afghanistan. At a press conference, Asselborn stressed the importance of EU external border control and of registering those who enter the EU. “Without rational and effective management of external EU borders, the Schengen area will fall apart”, says the Luxembourg Presidency of the Council of the EU in a press release. “If border controls are ineffective and people enter without being registered, almost all member states will reintroduce internal border controls”, affirmed Asselborn.
European summit focusing on returns and role of Frontex. Migration will again be on the agenda of the European Council of Thursday 15 and Friday 16 October (the Council may only last the evening of 15 October, it has been learned). In a provisional version of the conclusions, dated 9 October and circulated over the weekend, the member states lay great emphasis on cooperation with third countries in regulating the flows of migrants and call for swift consideration to be given to the action plan proposed by the EU to Turkey, in which the EU said it was willing to increase its political and financial support. In a more recent version, dated 12 October, leaders undertake to speak of the visa liberalisation process for Turkish citizens, which could be speeded up if Turkey agrees to the action plan.
Leaders are also expected to call for the Valetta summit on 11-12 November to lead to definite action. According to a provisional working paper, this means a political statement and joint action plans with African countries. The issues of socio-economic development, conflict prevention and resolution and putting in place legal (economic) means to migration to the EU should be discussed. The Valetta summit should also address the readmission and return of illegal migrants to the EU and the possible creation of reception centres for asylum seekers in the African countries from where, once they have been identified, some could travel on to the EU or be returned to their countries of origin.
The European Council of 15 and 16 October is expected once more to examine the possibilities for setting up reception centres for asylum seekers and potential refugees in the third countries affected. The European Commission has already explored the possibility with Turkey, proposing, on 5 October, to jointly finance six refugee reception centres to alleviate the burden of coping with the migrants and improve living conditions on the ground. The European summit will also devote time to strengthening the external borders of the EU, stating that there will have to be a gradual move towards a European external border management system, that the mandate of Frontex will have to be strengthened within the context of discussions on a European coast guard system, that technical arrangements will have to be toughened in order to improve external border control (the principle of “smart borders”) and that further hotspots will have to be set up before the end of November. Leaders are likely, too, to call for implementation of relocation decisions to be speeded up, after 19 Eritreans were relocated from Italy to Sweden on 9 October.
Picking up on the discussions of home affairs ministers in Luxembourg on 8 October, leaders will highlight the “returns” duties of Frontex, which is likely to be granted powers to organise joint flights and to deliver laissez-passer papers for those persons being returned. It will also be necessary to encourage third countries to accept the European laissez-passer, says the provisional draft discussed by the permanent representatives on Saturday 10 October. The draft was rather well received and new conclusions were prepared on 12 October. The draft conclusions are unlikely at any rate to contain any mention of putting in place a European coast guard corps, as proposed by France on 8 October, the suggestion failing to find agreement among the member states. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)