MEPs approve political agreements reached with EU Council on ‘Pact on Migration and Asylum’

On Wednesday 14 February, the European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties approved the political agreements reached in December with the Spanish Presidency of the EU Council on the ‘Pact on Migration and Asylum’, as well as the political agreements reached earlier on several texts from the 2016 asylum package (see EUROPE 13346/9, 13088/6).

With regard to the regulations of the pact proposed at the end of 2020, MEPs adopted the asylum and migration management regulation (AMMR) by 41 votes to 24, with 2 abstentions; the asylum procedure regulation, including border procedures (APR) by 40 votes to 23, with 4 abstentions; the regulation on migrant ‘screening’ by 48 votes to 16, with 2 abstentions; the ‘Crisis’ regulation on the instrument for crisis situations, force majeure and instrumentalisation by 37 votes to 26 with 4 abstentions; and finally, the regulation on the new Eurodac migration database, with 48 votes to 17 with 2 abstentions.

With regard to the old texts of the ‘Asylum’ package, MEPs adopted the new directive/regulation on qualification criteria for asylum by 42 votes to 24 with 1 abstention, the revised directive on reception conditions for asylum seekers by 4 votes to 14 with 6 abstentions, and the European regulation on resettlement programmes by 53 votes to 14 with no abstentions.

These texts, adopted last week by the Member States, should both strengthen solidarity with front-line countries and reinforce external border controls, particularly on illegal arrivals. Member States will be able to choose whether to receive asylum seekers, contribute financially or provide operational support. The various texts aim to improve identification on arrival, including facial images and fingerprints, for children aged six and over (Eurodac); to review asylum applications more quickly (with a virtually single decision on asylum and return via the APR); to strengthen compulsory security and health checks for people entering the EU illegally (‘screening’); to better manage crisis situations and the instrumentalisation of migrants and asylum seekers (Crisis); to update reception and qualification standards; and to develop a new voluntary European framework to provide opportunities for the resettlement of refugees from third countries (without any binding quantified commitments).

Among other things, the new rules on reception conditions will enable asylum seekers to enter Member States’ labour markets more quickly (no later than six months after registering their asylum application) and to gain easier access to language courses.

Conversely, an asylum seeker who spends more time than authorised in another Member State could lose the rights granted to them by the first country processing their asylum application.

As expected, the votes were closest on two particularly controversial texts of the ‘Asylum Pact’, namely the APR and Crisis texts, which the left-wing groups rejected, believing that they weaken the right to asylum and the protection of migrants, while also increasing recourse to detention.

However, the majority of the ECR group also voted against these two dossiers, as well as the AMMR. Nor did it support the new revision of the directive on reception standards for asylum seekers.

The plenary still has to confirm these votes.