On 24 July, the European Commission will present two papers on the implementation of the European Council’s decisions of 29 June on migration. These will focus on the voluntary control centres in the member states and the way in which the Commission sets up the “disembarkation platforms” for migrants in safe third countries in North Africa.
Asked about several exchanges of letters recently between the President of the Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, and the President of the Italian Council, Giuseppe Conte, on the follow-up to the European Council, Natasha Bertaud, the spokesperson for Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos, confirmed these initiatives. One of the Commission's objectives is to help coordinate member state action, whilst emphasising that it did not have a remit covering search and rescue missions at sea. It is expected to explain that the assistance the EU can provide to the countries that voluntarily want to take part involves funding and expertise, once the countries concerned have taken in the migrants rescued at sea into their ports.
In the middle of the week, one source expressed hope that subsequent to these papers, it is possible that Italy will put a brake on its systematic refusal policy to allow boats to dock in its ports.
Initially, the Commission did not intend to examine the disembarkation platforms in the safe third countries in North Africa but the Committee of Permanent Representatives to the EU requested that it make progress with this work at the same time. The Commission is therefore also expected to explain on 24 July, in a note, the way in which it envisages these debarkation platforms, which can only be set up in safe countries, therefore, not in Libya, as confirmed by the spokesperson on Friday, 20 July. Earlier in the day, Libya said that it would refuse to host these platforms and Tunisia has also said no. During the informal meeting of Ministers of the Interior in Innsbruck, Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos appealed to the member states to activate their contacts with these North African countries in an effort to make progress with these discussions. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)