According to the president of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, the new legislation gives member states tools to act, for example, when a hostile country instrumentalizes immigration.
The EU Parliament and the Council have reached an agreement on reforming the Union’s immigration and asylum laws.
Among other things, the reform speeds up entry checks and enables the establishment of waiting centers in border areas. The deportation of asylum seekers who have received a negative decision is speeding up.
The Union also agreed on a burden-sharing mechanism to try to ease the burden on the member countries receiving the most refugees. The majority of asylum seekers currently come to southern Europe.
“Tools for crisis situations”
President of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen says that the long-awaited agreement gives the EU and its member states the tools to act in times of crisis, for example, when large numbers of people enter the country illegally or when hostile countries use immigration to cause instability in the EU or its member states.
– The agreement means that the Europeans decide who comes to the EU and not the smugglers. It also means that those in need of protection are protected, says von der Leye in his announcement.
In X, von der Leyen calls the agreement historic:
According to Von der Leyen, the Commission supports member countries with concrete actions and fights against illegal immigration via the Mediterranean, the Balkans and the Atlantic.
The Union aims to conclude agreements with the countries of origin and transit to fight the smuggling of immigrants and to ensure the effective return of people who do not have the right to be in the EU.
Sources: AFP, Reuters, Uutiset