On Tuesday 17 December, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, presented Member States with a new review of the progress made in European policies for managing migration and asylum.
In a letter to the EU leaders, who will meet in Brussels on 19 December, the President reconfirms that a new legislative proposal on returns will be presented before the end of March 2025, and refers to the start of discussions within the Commission on how to bring forward certain regulations of the ‘Pact on Migration and Asylum’.
In this letter, which covers both the external and internal dimensions of migration, the President also announces the formalisation of a new partnership with Jordan and confirms new aid of €1 billion for Turkey to continue supporting the reception of Syrian refugees in the country (see other news).
‘Pact’ and ‘Returns’. The President of the Commission has taken into account the wish of certain Member States to advance on certain texts of the ‘Pact’, the set of 10 new texts formally adopted in the spring of 2024. While more than 22 Member States had sent in their National Implementation Plans by the end of November, the Commission is currently working “to accelerate implementation of the Pact where possible. We have set out three areas where we can speed up work within the current acquis: improving the management of external borders; improving the efficiency and fairness of the Dublin system; a more efficient management of reception systems and more efficient returns”, she writes.
“Maintaining the balance between responsibility and solidarity is essential. Changes to administrative procedures on a voluntary basis can bring real results (...). We are working closely with those Member States who have expressed interest to launch pilot projects. Other Member States have already started projects frontloading efforts, notably in the areas of border procedures, the Dublin system and reception”, adds the President.
“A stronger legislative framework in the area of returns will be one of the first major proposals of the new College, and a proposal for a new common approach on return will be presented before the March European Council”, she also writes. The aim is to make the process of returns simpler, swifter and more efficient in order to bring it up to the new standard of the streamlined asylum process under the Pact. The new legislation will also cover the rights and obligations of returnees, encouraging cooperation from returnees while spelling out the consequences of non-cooperation.
To support the new common approach to returns, a legal proposal on the digitalisation of return case management will follow later, in 2025, “covering the complex issues of interoperability, data sharing and data protection”.
The President also mentioned the publication of a working document to “tackle the specific challenge of third country nationals who present a security threat”. The current Returns Directive already provides for a number of facilities, such as the possibility of shortening or not granting a period for voluntary departure, or the possibility of imposing an entry ban of more than five years, as the Commission points out.
Link to the working document: https://aeur.eu/f/euq
On 16 December, the Commission published a proposal for an EU Council implementing decision to close national gaps and move “towards an efficient EU return system through common solutions and innovative practices”.
To see the proposal: https://aeur.eu/f/euf
Jordan. A new EU partnership with Jordan is in preparation, building on our strong and deep-rooted relationship and acknowledging Jordan’s vital role in the region, said Ms von der Leyen in her letter.
“We should aim to sign a Strategic and Comprehensive Partnership early next year, based on areas of mutual interest and strengthening Jordan’s resilience and modernisation to fulfil the economic potential of an EU partnership”. A new agreement is also in the pipeline with Morocco.
Links to documents: https://aeur.eu/f/eu9 ; https://aeur.eu/f/eua (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)