The Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU will follow in the footsteps of the Spanish Presidency and finalise the technical aspects of the Pact on Migration and Asylum, on which political agreement was reached with the European Parliament on 20 December (see EUROPE 13318/1) and which should be formally adopted before spring.
The regulations in question relate to the management of asylum and migration, the screening of migrants, asylum procedures, ‘Eurodac’ and the regulation on situations of crisis, force majeure and the instrumentalisation of migration.
The Presidency’s ambition is “to address all remaining legislative files associated with the new European pact on migration and asylum. The Pact will reinforce trust between Member States in a spirit of responsibility and solidarity, bring legal clarity to people arriving in the EU, and ensure EU citizens of the humane and effective management of migration, in line with our values and international law”, states the Presidency in its work programme. “It will also offer a common and fast reaction to migration crises and improve legal pathways to the EU”, it adds.
The Belgian Presidency will also seek to “strengthen the external dimension of migration and asylum, especially by working closely with our African partners”.
This will involve preventing illegal departures to the EU, combating the smuggling of migrants, strengthening border protection, improving the effectiveness of return, readmission and reintegration processes, developing opportunities for legal migration and helping to tackle the root causes of migration.
The Belgian Presidency will also continue to work on “mutually beneficial collaborations with priority countries of origin and transit, all the while upholding international law and the right to seek asylum”.
An informal meeting on Migration and Home Affairs will be held in Brussels on 24 and 26 January.
Link to the programme: https://aeur.eu/f/a4i (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)