– The proposed mechanism establishes the principle of responsibility of the so-called front-line countries (Italy, Spain, Greece, Malta, Cyprus), which should more effectively control the external borders of the EU. and in particular to log all inputs. Host countries are also offered a reduction in their time of responsibility. In turn, the second-line countries undertake to adhere to the form of “flexible solidarity”. That is, either they will receive asylum seekers on their territory, or they will pay compensation to host countries, or they will finance reception centers or make financial contributions to infrastructure projects in countries of origin.

– Those Member States that do not agree to accept the number provided for by the resettlement quotas will be required to pay an amount of approximately 20,000 euros per person, according to the latest proposal of the Swedish Presidency. This proposal was opposed by France, which requested a much higher percentage. According to the French, a compensation of between 30,000 and 40,000 euros was more appropriate, as they believe that otherwise there is a risk of relocation of asylum seekers. Since the measure mainly affects Poland and Hungary, which have so far refused resettlement, Warsaw and Budapest rejected the proposal, saying it was unfair and that they would not be able to explain to their citizens such a burden on the budget.

Athens appears to be pleased as the Dublin Regulations have seen “a significant overhaul of how responsibility is allocated”.

The Greek side, as noted, “fought for the inclusion in the new Regulation of a new criterion, providing that the responsibility for examining an asylum application will end in 18 months, from 10 years until today, when this application was rejected in the border asylum procedure.” These are the procedures that Greece uses to distinguish between those who really need protection and those who abuse the asylum system and undermine its sustainability. A new, special category was also provided for those rescued from search and rescue operations. However, in general, “the new system responds better to the data that our country is facing,” the report says.

At the same time, the new text creates a mandatory solidarity mechanism, ensures permanent unloading at borders and adapts the obligations of the Dublin Regulation to the specific characteristics of front-line countries such as Greece. It also supports the concept of safe third countries. In addition, the agreement provides for an annual political debate at the ministerial level, during which the migration situation and the needs of solidarity will be discussed. This is what our country has traditionally put forward, as emphasized.

Greece also provided provisions to prevent the country’s border areas from being overwhelmed by the pressure associated with asylum procedures and ensured that the national security factor would be taken into account in the design and development of the infrastructure associated with these procedures.

Our country was represented by the Minister of Immigration and Asylum, Mr. Daniel Esdras, and the Secretary General for Immigration Policy, Mr. Patroklos Georgiadis.

– The last sentence specified that the number of those who were asked to be accommodated in other Member States would be calculated based on the algorithm and the GDP of the population. Based on the last proposal, the minimum number of necessary resettlements per year is estimated at 30,000 people. For this reason, each year the Commission will prepare a report in collaboration with national governments where the data will be evaluated.

Questions and answers about the “balance points” of the Swedish proposal for the Presidency of the European Union.

– The proposal of the Swedish Presidency refers to an accelerated border procedure for people with low chances of obtaining asylum, allowing them to be accommodated in third countries such as African countries. In addition, so-called safe third countries will be determined on the basis of uniform criteria in order to facilitate the procedures for accepting or rejecting asylum applications.

– Berlin insisted on establishing a link between the third country and the asylum seeker, but 15 to 16 states, such as Austria, asked for this restriction to be lifted. Germany indicated that it would probably not support the reform if this change were made.

Southern countries such as Italy and Greece, which are already responsible for processing many applications, have expressed concern that they will be burdened more and have called for the “border control process” to be limited. There was also a proposal on the carpet as to whether EU member states should be able to handle a total of 120,000 people at the border per year.

– From the above procedure, Germany urged to exclude families with children. Her proposal was largely rejected by the Netherlands. The clause of the agreement is a general exception that will apply to children under the age of 18.

– Human rights groups such as Oxfam and the International Rescue Committee have raised concerns that the reforms could lead to increased border detentions and limited access to asylum and human rights.

Statements

YULVA JOHANSON
European Commissioner for Home Affairs

“Today is a very important day. When I took over as Commissioner, immigration was a sensitive issue and my main duty was to break the deadlock, restore confidence and reach a comprehensive deal on immigration and asylum. It is now clear that we have made great progress, and today’s decision proves that there is trust among Member States, as well as a spirit of cooperation and solidarity.We have a long way to go in negotiations with the European Parliament, but this is a historic moment.”

BARDOZ GRODESKI
Deputy Minister of the Interior of Poland

“We know very well how external borders work and there are thousands of people who will continue the dangerous journey to Europe. I am convinced that this mechanism will not help us in any way, because it has some quirks. We called it solidarity, but if we do not accept immigrants, we will receive a fine of 22,000 euros. This cannot be socially acceptable in our countries, we cannot explain to a society that has accepted 1 million Ukrainians that if we do not accept immigrants, we will pay fines, devastating our budget.”

BENTZE RETVARI
Deputy Minister of the Interior of Hungary

“From the process of processing asylum applications, Hungary is expected to accept 1/3 of the applicants, despite the fact that it is not a front-line country. Hungary has already spent more than 1.5 billion euros to protect its borders and prevented 271,000 illegal entries into the EU. The mandatory resettlement of people entering the Union will be an invitation for the continued activities of criminal groups.”

Numbers

7 negotiations have been going on for about a year to reform the immigration and asylum pact.

996 000 Asylum applications accepted by the EU in 2022 have increased significantly from 632,000 in 2021.

330 000 last year there were illegal arrivals of migrants to the European Union along all routes.

16 million Ukrainian refugees arrived in the EU due to the war, of which 11 million returned and 4 million remained, mostly in neighboring states.

30,000 estimates the number of minimum resettlements needed each year for a country to claim to have covered its “capacity”.