Meeting on Thursday 17 October prior to the start of the European Council, the eleven EPP government leaders from the Member States and the representatives of the EPP opposition parties adopted a five-point declaration on irregular immigration, in which they again called for the funding of physical infrastructure at the external borders and supported the principle of exploring new and innovative ways of reducing the arrival of migrants in the EU.
“Irregular immigration is one of the most important challenges Europe faces today”, writes the EPP. “The new Migration and Asylum Pact needs to be implemented. At the same time, we want to continuously improve it by working on innovative solutions”.
Infrastructure at external borders. “To have a functioning Schengen Area, we need to strengthen our external border protection. For this, Frontex’s staff has to be tripled to 30,000 personnel”, the statement continues.
Furthermore, “the EU shall support and finance stationary infrastructure in frontline Member States. We cannot allow Russia and Belarus to use our own values, including the right to asylum, against us and undermine our democracies”, writes the EPP.
The party also advocates a new Mediterranean Pact and the exploration of “options for comprehensive partnerships with third countries”. “We should also be ready to draw lessons, now we enter the implementation phase of the agreement between Italy and Albania. In the same spirit, we should explore options for return transit-hubs that will relieve pressure from our reception and asylum systems”.
Finally, the EPP is calling for “a more robust return policy” and argues that a common approach “is also needed as regards returns of criminals and those posing a security threat”.
The S&D and Renew Europe groups are opposed to return hubs. Meanwhile, the S&D and Renew Europe groups have expressed their opposition to plans to create return centres outside EU territory.
“The progressives have always opposed any externalisation of asylum or return policy, as this goes against the international law on which EU law is based, and under which the right to asylum is protected together with the principle of non-refoulement”, commented Spain’s Iratxe García, leader of the S&D group. “We cannot discuss return hubs or innovative solutions without a written basis anchored in international law respecting human rights and dignity”.
“We need to focus on implementing the agreed migration and asylum pact faster, strengthening Frontex and securing workable returns agreements, instead of misleading projects. Unilateral national actions and populist rhetoric borrowed from the far right are jeopardising the common European approach we need”, commented France’s Valérie Hayer, leader of the Renew Europe group.
Link to the EPP statement: https://aeur.eu/f/dxa (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)