MEPs expressed, on Wednesday1 February, very different expectations of the 9-10 February EU summit on migration.
They did so in the presence of the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who came to present her proposals for the European Summit (see EUROPE 13109/7) and who pointed out, in the context of a 65% increase in irregular arrivals in 2022 compared to the previous year, that “the majority of people who arrive seeking asylum are not in need of protection”.
Focusing on returns, the protection of external borders, in particular the border between Bulgaria and Turkey, but also on legal channels, including labour, the avenues outlined by the President were, however, received with mixed reactions.
MEPs were quickly divided between supporters of a continued - but more regulated - reception of migrants and asylum seekers and supporters of much more drastic measures, such as building ‘walls’ at the EU’s external borders, processing asylum applications outside the EU or imposing financial penalties on countries that do not take back their illegal nationals.
The EPP group, with its leader, Manfred Weber (German), distinguished itself from the other ‘pro-European’ groups by advocating, if necessary, for the construction of physical infrastructure at the external borders of Member States. An issue that should no longer be “taboo”, said Manfred Weber.
Citing the loss of confidence of European citizens in their leaders due to the increase in irregular arrivals, he said the EU budget should be able to fund such infrastructure. As for the NGOs that operate at sea to rescue migrants, a “Code of Conduct” should also be established for them.
In addition, countries such as Canada have offices in Syria or Iraq to identify people who can be protected and welcomed. “Why shouldn’t the EU do the same?”, he also asked as his group wants to revive the concept of regional landing platforms, proposed in 2018 by the European Commission.
These proposals were rejected by the S&D and its president, Iratxe Garcia Perez (Spanish), who says that the EU should continue to receive people in need of protection, ensure their integration and guarantee legal channels. “Penalising NGOs, building walls, does not erase the reality” and the duty to find solutions, said the Spaniard who also called on Member States and the Commission not to “focus only on returns”. Progress must be made as well on the ‘Asylum Pact’, with the leader of the S&D group in the European Parliament saying that she was “worried” about the proposals of her EPP counterpart.
For Renew Europe and the Dutch MEP, Malik Azmani, not only must progress be made on the ‘Pact on Migration and Asylum’, but also “trust needs to be restored” between Member States and the Commission has a role to play in enforcing existing rules, such as the Dublin rules. Visa policy, on the other hand, is a good lever to put pressure on non-cooperating third countries on returns, as is “trade” policy.
For his French colleague Fabienne Keller, the EPP group’s proposals, between walls and outsourcing of asylum, cannot constitute answers. “It is not by making a pact with the far right that we will find solutions”, said the French MEP, also calling for a focus on the Pact and the Roadmap signed between the European Parliament and the EU Council.
The European Council is “finally taking back ownership” of the migration issue, said Italian MEP Marco Zanni, who also welcomed the Commission’s growing awareness of migratory flows, as the institution “no longer talks about redistribution” of migrants. “No one wants to hear about redistribution and that doesn’t help”, said the MEP, who also advocated processing asylum applications from third countries because of the low recognition rate of applications in the EU. The ID group also wants, like the Frenchman Jean-Paul Garraud, that “not a single cent” should go to countries that do not want to take back their nationals.
The co-presidents of the Greens/EFA and The Left, Terry Reintke (German) and Manon Aubry (French), deplored the return of a “fortress Europe”.
EPP Group wants a resolution on migration
The EPP group in the European Parliament did not succeed in putting a draft resolution on migration on the agenda of this mini-plenary on 1-2 February, but will push for this again at the next plenary in Strasbourg, including a debate on the conclusions of the European Summit on 9-10 February.
The request for a resolution for this mini-plenary was rejected on Wednesday by 213 votes to 178 (8 abstentions). Several groups are and will continue to be opposed to it, including Renew Europe and the S&D, who are concerned that the new politicisation of the migration issue will delay the ongoing work on the ‘Pact on Migration and Asylum’ at a time when the European Parliament is in a position to have most of its negotiating mandates with the EU Council by March.
The EPP group also adopted, on 1 February, its action plan on migration, detailed on 30 January by Jeroen Lenaers (Dutch).
The plan emphasises the need for EU funding for physical infrastructure at external borders and regional disembarkation platforms, schemes based on third countries of departure such as those in North Africa, from which asylum applications would be processed directly for member countries.
Link to the EPP Group position: https://aeur.eu/f/55y (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)