On Wednesday 25 July, the Committee of Permanent Representatives to the EU (Coreper) held a relatively general discussion on the two reflection papers presented by the European Commission the day before on the migrant controlled centres in voluntary EU countries and the disembarkation platforms that are still voluntary in safe third countries in North Africa (see EUROPE 12069).
According to one source, this discussion enabled the member states to describe these two texts as “a good basis for work”.
The discussion did not focus on any specific points and was not characterised by any particular positions being taken either. Nonetheless, according to this source “there was a recognition on certain questions” regarding the way in which the two envisaged mechanisms would function and the situation involving the migrants being disembarked.
According to a second source, certain countries used these discussions to point out that at the same time as this work is being undertaken, they should not lose sight of reforming the Dublin regulation on the asylum system and maintaining this as an objective to be accomplished.
Several countries thought that the idea of the controlled centres was interesting if it is accompanied by solidarity action but no country is advanced enough yet to host these structures.
Questions were raised regarding the disembarkation platforms outside the EU and making contact with third countries that were possibly interested in this connection. The next stage in the process will take place on 13 July in Geneva as part of a meeting between the International Migration Organisation, the High Commission of Refugees at the UN and the European Commission.
On Tuesday, the Commission explained that the European Council's agreement at the end of June on these two mechanisms had been devised to improve the management of illegal migration to the EU (see EUROPE 12051, 12052). It also proposed funding and operational support for the controlled centres and said that the EU would be able to take charge of all the costs relating to these centres and the disembarkation points, as well as the transfers of the migrants to other countries (voluntary).
With regard to the platforms in third countries, the Commission indicated that the possibilities of resettlement in the EU would be limited for people who had been rescued, in an effort to reduce the EU's attractiveness. It also intends to provide financial support for action that would be possibly decided with voluntary countries.
The Austrian Presidency of the Council of the EU will examine the dossier at the beginning of September in light of the bilateral discussions taking place this summer. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)