Ahead of a meeting of the Asylum Working Group scheduled for Thursday 30 April, the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union has invited the delegations of the Member States to assess their state of preparedness in the face of possible migratory crises, according to a note dated 21 April which Agence Europe was able to view. The aim is to anticipate the challenges before the new Pact on Migration and Asylum comes into force on 12 June.
Although the current situation at the external borders is deemed “manageable” by the Presidency (see EUROPE 13822/2), with a 26% drop in irregular border crossings by 2025 (see EUROPE 13787/10), the document stresses that “geopolitical landscape remains volatile and subject to rapid change, as recent developments in the Middle East and beyond have demonstrated”.. In this context, the Presidency considers it “prudent for the EU and its Member States (...) to reflect on their readiness to respond to potential exceptional situations”..
At the heart of this debate is the ‘Crisis and Force Majeure’ regulation. This central pillar of the Pact allows for "temporary and targeted derogations” from the asylum acquis, such as longer registration periods or adjustments to border procedures.. It also provides for a strengthened solidarity mechanism, including relocation or liability compensation.
The note points out that it has been “deliberately decided not to define precise thresholds or criteria” to characterise a crisis situation, in order to guarantee “flexibility in responding to a broad range of potential scenarios”.. Consequently, the practical implementation of the regulation will depend on the specific circumstances.
In addition to crisis resolution, the Presidency stresses the importance of “situational awareness”, which relies on tools such as large-scale computer databases. In particular, it asks the delegations whether they have identified “key indicators that could serve to trigger an operational response” at national level.
Member States are also invited to specify the circumstances in which they consider it necessary to use exceptional measures. (Original version in French by Justine Manaud)