The European Parliament expects the Council of the EU to finally take a position on reform of the Dublin system which organises responsibilities between member states regarding the processing of asylum requests.
Such was the message delivered by the EU rapporteur on this issue, Cecilia Wikström (ALDE, Sweden), on Wednesday 30 May, and by the shadow rapporteurs, Laura Ferrara (EFDD, Italy), Alessandra Mussolini (EPP, Italy), Jean Lambert (Greens/EFA, Britain), Cornelia Ernst (GUE/NGL, Germany) and Elly Schlein (S&D, Italy).
In November 2017, the Parliament finalised its stance on this reform of the so-called Dublin regulation presented in May 2016. It is now “ready” to negotiate, said Wikström (see EUROPE 11887).
In Luxembourg, on Tuesday 5 June, relevant European ministers will be discussing possible solutions on the basis of preparatory work steered by the Bulgarian presidency of the Council. Although no specific decision is expected to come out of this small informal lunch, the ministers will be invited to express positions to be defended by the European leaders, end June in Brussels, during a summit when they are due to reach consensus on this reform.
Consensus or no consensus, Wikström considers that, in any case, the Council should decide to apply the treaties and proceed to a vote by qualified majority. She does not, moreover, understand why this rule of the treaty is not being applied in this instance.
The rapporteur is convinced that the text voted by a large majority of Parliament strikes a good balance. The text advocates automatic relocation, independently of crises, for asylum seekers arriving in the EU, so as to relieve the country directly, like Italy or Greece that are on the front line. It also suggests a sanctions mechanism (e.g. freeze on European funds) against a member state that refuses to show proof of solidarity in the relocation of asylum seekers on its territory (see EUROPE 11887).
Parliament’s position is nonetheless very far from the direction taken at the Council of the EU (see EUROPE 12026, 12020). The latest documents from the Bulgarian presidency, of which a copy is available to EUROPE, maintain a compulsory system of relocation but according to very precise conditions and crisis thresholds.
On Tuesday 29 May, the EU28 ambassadors (Coreper) held a last discussion on this issue before the Council scheduled for 5 June.
According to some sources, it is still difficult to predict whether the EU28 will manage to reach an agreement on 29 June. Most delegations do indeed appreciate Bulgaria’s efforts to find a solution but the member states remain divided over the balance between the principles of accountability and solidarity. Some delegations have even said that Bulgaria had, in recent days, placed a little too much emphasis on solidarity. To put it clearly, it is said to have given a slight advantage to the countries of southern Europe.
Another sensitive but crucial point for some countries is the inclusion in the so-called Dublin regulation of beneficiaries of international protection in order to combat secondary refugee movements within the EU. While the situation of such people already enjoying international protection is, in theory, covered by another legislative instrument of the “asylum” package, several countries would like the future Dublin regulation to contain these provisions on such persons.
Other unknown factors weigh upon the issue. Austria, which is to hold the half-yearly rotating Council as of July, holds a firm position. It considers that the question of compulsory quotas should no longer take up so much of the EU28’s energy.
Furthermore, the political crisis in Italy is making it uncertain whether there will be a government able to take decisions on migratory matters, as well as on economic issues, during the European summit.
Despite it all, there is an “awareness” that it is necessary to attempt to find an agreement now, one source states, going on to say that one should take advantage of the “short window available” for resolving the issue before the EU plunges into the European elections campaign in spring 2019. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)