EU leaders agreed, on Thursday 16 December, on the importance of a more “unified” EU returns policy, as they chose to call it in their conclusions. And they called on the European Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, to swiftly take action to ensure effective returns to countries of origin using all available leverage, from visa policies to development aid.
Reiterating their condemnation of the instrumentalisation of migrants by third countries for political purposes, they also stressed the need to assist those EU Member States whose borders with third countries are particularly exposed. In this context, they called for new cooperation arrangements, in particular with regard to border guards and aerial surveillance.
“We have tried to learn from the lessons of the Belarusian crisis and worked on two fronts”, summarised Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the end of the day: “strengthening cooperation with countries of transit and origin to improve returns” and making sure “that the EU legal framework is fit for purpose”.
On the returns of people arriving at the EU’s borders from Belarus, Mrs von der Leyen said that a coordination system would be set up soon, led by European Commissioners Margaritis Schinas and Ylva Johansson.
“Repatriation is the focus. This means that if there is resistance to repatriation agreements, if there is no cooperation, then the EU will also address the issue of the visa regime, or of visa leverage, the issue of trade agreements, but also the issue of development cooperation”, said the Austrian Chancellor, Karl Nehammer.
See the conclusions of the European Council: https://bit.ly/3E6yKa2 (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic with the editorial staff)