Depending on the presentation announced for February/March of the new European Pact on Asylum and Migration by the von der Leyen Commission, the Croatian Presidency of the EU Council will work to establish a coherent framework on the future Common Asylum System and will focus its efforts on issues of management of the EU’s external borders with the gradual implementation of the new Regulation of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency and the search for an agreement on the European list of safe non-Member States and safe countries of origin.
Croatia will also focus on the implementation of readmission agreements with non-Member States.
The year 2019 ended without any real progress on the reform of the asylum system, even though the Finnish Presidency of the EU Council and the Commission felt that the Member States were willing to make progress on the subject, in particular on the Dublin Regulation (see EUROPE 12381/3). Finland’s Presidency had conducted a series of thematic meetings on asylum and migration, and one of the conclusions reached was that Member States should be allowed to contribute to European solidarity in various forms (see EUROPE 12379/4).
In its programme, the Croatian Presidency also emphasises its wish to finalise work on the European funds for asylum, migration and internal security.
On the security side of the EU, Croatia will need to continue to implement the new rules on interoperability of information systems and promises to intensify work on the fight against organised crime. It also wishes to conclude work on the regulation on the removal of terrorist content online, still under discussion between the European Parliament and the EU Council.
Finally, resilience to hybrid attacks and increased vigilance for new technologies such as 5G are the other priorities for this half year. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)