The president of the EU Commission presents the issue in his letter to the leaders of the EU countries.
The EU Commission wants those who have been denied asylum in the EU to be transferred to deportation centers established outside the Union’s borders.
Chairman of the Commission Ursula von der Leyen expresses his support for the return centers in the letter he sent to the leaders of the EU countries.
Von der Leyen sent the letter just ahead of this week’s summit on immigration in Brussels.
In the letter, the chairman of the commission presents ways to reduce the number of asylum applications. Last year, 1.14 million asylum applications were submitted in the EU.
The EU learns from the experiences of Italy and Albania
Von der Leyn’s proposal is somewhat similar to the agreement between Italy and Albania, where Italy transfers asylum seekers who have crossed the Mediterranean Sea to two centers set up in Albania to await the processing of their asylum applications. Italy is apparently transporting the first asylum seekers to Albania today.
Von der Leyen has already praised the agreement between Italy and Albania. In the letter, he says that the rest of Europe can learn from the experiences of Italy and Albania. In turn, human rights organizations have opposed the Italian and Albanian project.
According to Von der Leyen, the EU should nominate safe third countries for organizing returns. About 20 percent of asylum applications are rejected. Last week, 17 EU countries sent a letter to the Commission in which they demanded a stricter line on returns.
According to von der Leyen, the EU’s immigration policy can only be sustainable if those who do not have the right to stay in the EU are returned effectively.