After several years of negotiations, the EU’s member states have agreed on a historic settlement on the future of asylum and migration.
– They will have much tighter controls and they will not tolerate gaps in the system, says TV4 Nyhetern’s foreign commentator Lisa Grenfors.
The settlement must clarify who is responsible for taking care of asylum seekers and how the examination is to be carried out. It will be tougher at the EU’s borders and systems will be created for tougher scrutiny of asylum seekers and refugees, says Lisa Grenfors.
– And it is mainly by the Mediterranean Sea because that is where you have seen the big currents in recent years. The rules apply everywhere, but that’s where we see it in reality.
Conflict between North and South
The agreement has been created as a result of the EU’s failed migration policy and the negotiations have in some cases been a conflict between north and south, says Grenfors.
– Italy and Greece, which have received ships with refugees, have wanted solidarity from the other member states. They have more or less shouted: “come and accept refugees too”
The rules have been that asylum and migration management must primarily take place in the EU country where the new arrivals first arrive. The regulations have put great pressure on countries that received large numbers of new arrivals.
– This will continue, but you will have much stricter controls and you will not tolerate gaps in the system.
– It will be tougher at the EU’s borders.
Buy yourself free
The EU wants to avoid scenarios similar to the wave of refugees in 2015 – where large numbers of Syrian refugees ended up in Germany because other member states let the Syrians through without careful checks. According to the agreement, the countries that do not want to accept any asylum seekers must pay a sum to avoid having to take care of new arrivals.
– All the details are not clear, but it is about the equivalent of SEK 200,000 per refugee. Instead of redistributing people, as cynical as that sounds, it’s a way to pay instead.