Brussels, 08/06/2009 (Agence Europe) - The EU27 do not want the common European asylum system, which is to see light of day in 2012, give too many advantages to asylum seekers and suck in thousands of illegal immigrants on an “in-draught”. On 4 June in Luxembourg, European immigration ministers discussed at length four measures contained in the “asylum package” proposed by the European Commission (EUROPE 9795 and 9842): - revision of the directive on hosting asylum seekers; - amendment of the Dublin regulation; - revision of the Eurodac regulation; - and the draft regulation on creating an asylum support bureau.
Good start for Eurodac and the Bureau. As revision of Eurodac does not cause much of a problem, ministers above all took time looking at the future creation of the support bureau. “We await its launch with interest as it will help member states that are under too much pressure due to immigrants arriving on their coasts”, said Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici, Malta's Interior Minister. Both Malta and Bulgaria have stated their willingness to host this structure. Other countries (Slovenia, Poland) have, however, expressed concern regarding the cost of creating the bureau. “It is an office, not an agency”, said Peter Altmaier, German Secretary of State for Home Affairs. Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security Jacques Barrot pointed out that the support bureau will be placed at the “service” of member states. “It will be limited in size. We have been thinking about a budget limited to €40 million over the first four years”, he explained. The Swedish EU Presidency hopes to reach an agreement on these two proposals this autumn.
Germany leads the revolt. Projects relating to the “hosting” directive and to the Dublin regulation come up against more serious problems. All European countries have expressed concern, beginning with Germany. “Some proposals go beyond what is necessary for a common system. We must keep to the central problems of asylum and ensure respect of the Union's competences”, Mr Altmaier said. As far as the “hosting” directive is concerned, “some problems are of concern to us, such as access to the labour market and social assistance. There are too many details”, the secretary of state said. Austria's Home Minister Maria Fekter regretted the fact that national standards are not “harmonised” but are “liberalised”, which could mean there is the risk of attracting even more immigrants. She takes the view that the principle of subsidiarity is “violated”, for example regarding access to the labour market or social assistance. “Access to the labour market after six months will encourage requests from people who do not need protection but who want to work”, it was highlighted by the United Kingdom. Other countries, such as Slovenia and Denmark, consider such measures will increase the administrative and financial burden on member states. “We are against any temporary suspension of the Dublin system as the consequences on illegal immigration would be extremely negative and totally unforeseeable”, said Nebahat Albayrak, Dutch Minister of the Interior. Her Danish counterpart, Birthe Rønn Hornbech, felt this suspension would “undermine the whole asylum system”. Only Malta was pleased, saying: “It is necessary to have shared responsibility for acceptance of asylum requests, without leaning on the neighbouring states”.
One should not give in to selfishness. “It was the Council which, in signing the Pact unanimously (on immigration and asylum) confirmed the need to make the system develop towards more coordination and more effectiveness. We shall comply with orders from the European Council”, Mr Barrot confirmed. Regarding the “in-draught” of asylum seekers, this, he said, is due more to “long and complex procedures that allow the crafty ones to exploit the system”. “When procedures are clear, simple and short, one can be sure that real asylum seekers receive protection and that those who wish to circumvent the law on asylum are repelled”, he said. On the “hosting” directive, Barrot denied wanting to make it an obligation for member states to grant social assistance to asylum seekers. “We want voluntary identity reference to ensure asylum seekers retain their dignity”, he said. On access to the labour market, the commissioner asserted that countries are “free to determine the arrangements for access to their market”. And regarding the detention of asylum seekers, he said rules in member states vary too much from one state to the next. Detention must remain “an exception and there must be grounds for it”, he said. “What is important is that we should move towards a coherent, effective Europe of asylum that combats abuse and that is generous towards genuine asylum seekers”, the commissioner pointed out. “We must reach a balanced compromise without falling into excessive generosity and without yielding to a sort of selfishness that makes no sense in our Europe”, Barrot said by way of conclusion. (B.C./transl.jl)