The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, believes that the European Union must “explore possible avenues” for the creation of expulsion centers for irregular migrants outside the Community territory while their cases are resolved in the Union, a solution which will be presented at the summit of EU leaders this Thursday in Brussels and which follows the line exposed in a letter from the 14 countries of the bloc, among which were not Spain but France, Italy and Germany, asking to accelerate the expulsions.
In a letter addressed to EU heads of state and government on the eve of their summit in Brussels, he calls for “continue to explore possible paths forward» towards “the idea of creating return centers outside the European Union”.
The head of the Community Executive, who will begin her second term expected in December, reminds the 27 that she will have in her new College a specific commissioner for the Mediterranean to whom she plans to entrust a reform proposal of the returns directive, the revision of which was already planned under this legislature but for which negotiation has not started between the Council and the European Parliament.
In this context, Von der Leyen is open to solutions that defined as “innovative” to move towards the creation of expulsion centers to transfer irregular migrants who have already arrived on European soil outside the EU, while their files are being processed, even if this option has already been excluded in the past by Brussels due to collision with the rights of asylum seekers.
Now, Von der Leyen mentions as an example in his letter to European leaders the agreement negotiated by the Italian government of Giorgia Meloni with Albania open centers in this country to transfer migrants who have already requested asylum in Italy while your requests are processed. “With the start of protocol operations between Italy and Albania, we will be able to learn from this practical experience,” said the Commission President.
In any case, the German conservative also emphasizes that to move forward in this area, her executive will also address the revision of the definition during “next year”. of “safe third country”, an issue also controversial due to the divisions it generates within the 27 but which Von der Leyen considers necessary to “help asylum seekers without having to undertake dangerous journeys across the Mediterranean”.
This reflection, he defends, will be carried out hand in hand with international organizations such as the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) with the aim of achieving a “global approach” of the concept.
Sanctions against countries that do not collaborate
In addition to this point, Von der Leyen highlights other key elements which, in his opinion, should mark the Union’s migration agenda, notably the acceleration of the application of certain parts of the Pact on Migration and the asylum; A closed reform ‘in extremis’ at the end of this legislature and whose entry into force is planned for 2026.
He also defends agreements with “key partners” such as Egypt, Morocco and Algeria and agreements with countries such as Tunisia and Libya, with which Brussels has concluded aid plans in exchange for controlling migratory flows.
He also defends that, in addition to intensifying cooperation with third parties, the 27 must move forward in the use of other measures punish third countries of origin or transit that make returns difficult, for example by restricting visa policy as has already been done or by resorting to trade sanctions.
“The EU should be ready to use as leverage not only visa policy but also other areas such as trade,” Von der Leyen asks in the letter, in which she specifically highlights the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP). which provides non-reciprocal duty-free access to products originating in developing countries.
These issues were already discussed last week at a meeting of EU interior ministers held in Luxembourg, where, during a closed-door lunch, they raised the possibility of deportation centers in third countries as an option. to speed up evictions.
As a starting point for the discussion, ministers received a working document prepared by Hungary’s rotating presidency this semester which calls for thinking about “legally, operationally and diplomatically sound” solutions that would make it possible to send migrants to a “safe” country. ” third party while your final eviction is resolved or until you agree to return on a “voluntary” basis.
Another of the ideas that the Hungarian presidency is putting on the table is that of greater firmness and speed in expulsions of people who have been convicted of a crime or are considered a “security threat.”
Furthermore, it calls for improving the application of “valid” instruments that the European Union already has, such as the possibility of punishing countries of origin or transit which do not cooperate adequately with return programs, for example by tightening visa policy as it already does with Gambia and Ethiopia.
This first discussion is the result of the impetus of a bloc of 14 countries of the European Union (including Austria, the Netherlands, France, Germany and Italy) who asked in another document a reform of the return directive to have a new legal framework which “facilitates and accelerates” evictions. Norway, Sweden and Liechtenstein, which are not members of the EU but of the borderless Schengen area, also sign the position.
The letter asks the community executive to review its own proposal for a “paradigm shift” in the return process which limits the “responsibilities” of the migrant who arrives irregularly in the European Union, so that his “rights and obligations” are clear, so that in the event of a lack of cooperation, he faces ” consequences and be punished.
