During a debate on migration that was requested by the ID group and held in Strasbourg on Wednesday, 10 May, both MEPs and the European Commission rejected the procedures for outsourcing asylum applications (the processing of asylum applications for EU countries from third countries), considering them to be incompatible with European rules and the European Union’s international obligations with regard to asylum.
The debate was an opportunity for the ID group to speak out against the ‘Asylum and Migration Pact’—which, as Frenchman Jean-Paul Garraud explained in his introductory remarks, will lead to “migratory submersion” by organising the arrival of “60 to 70 million migrants”.
Contrary to the pact, the ID group would like to favour policies on processing asylum applications outside third countries, as the United Kingdom now does. The group also mentions Denmark’s plans to do this, which, however, have not yet been implemented.
The group also advocates the use of conditionality levers such as making development aid granted to third countries conditional on their compliance with agreements on returning their nationals.
European Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski—who was present during the debate in place of the relevant commissioners, which annoyed some MEPs—insisted, “The Commission has consistently maintained that [outsourcing] asylum processing is incompatible” with EU law and its international obligations.
Swedish Minister for EU Affairs Jessika Roswall indicated that [the idea of having] regional disembarkation platforms (for migrants) in North African countries, previously envisaged by the European Commission back in 2018 (see EUROPE 12147/7), had not received support from these countries and, consequently, had not been discussed further in the EU Council.
The minister also reminded the ID group that the EU is working on conditionality, notably on visas and even with regard to trade; yet again, MEPs and Member States are divided on this subject.
In the Chamber, several MEPs criticised the debate that ID wanted to have—with certain MEPs, such as Lena Düpont (EPP, German), accusing the group of having always been absent from the negotiations on the ‘Pact’ [on Migration and Asylum].
Her colleague Jeroen Lenaers (EPP, Dutch) felt, “[E]verything [the ID group] said about the pact has been nonsense”. He also stressed that there is no ready-made solution on migration.
Likewise, Fabienne Keller (Renew Europe, French) condemned the far right’s proposals, which are just a “mirage”, since it so happens that neither the United Kingdom nor Denmark has sent a single asylum seeker back to Rwanda.
These MEPs called not only for continued work on the pact, for cooperation with third countries, and for equal, safe channels [for migrants] to arrive in the EU but also for voluntary returns of individuals residing without legal authorisation. Spaniard Juan Fernando Lopez Aguilar (S&D) stated that these returns should take place in “dignified conditions”. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)