Growing pressure on the external borders of the EU, underlined Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in her speech at the plenary session of the European Parliament in Brussels in connection with the summit on 9 and 10 February, at which the migration issue will be discussed.

“Asylum and reception systems in Member States are under significant pressure and the fact is that the majority of asylum seekers are not in need of protection. Return rates are just 22% and the number of secondary movements is on the rise,” von der Leyen said, pointing to the latest data from Frontex: 330,000 illegal border crossings in 2022, a 64% increase from the previous year and a higher figure. more than in 2016 and 924,000 asylum applications in the EU.

The President of the European Commission said that at the European Council next week, she will propose to the leaders two separate areas of work: the legislative process and operational actions that can be started now.

With regard to the legislative process, the President of the European Commission emphasized that the best response is the adoption of the New Pact on Migration and Asylum, noting that the European Parliament and the Council have agreed to complete all legislative work by March 2024.

With regard to operational actions, von der Leyen mainly emphasized the strengthening of the external borders. “We have a common interest in strong external borders. The most pressing issues at the moment are related to the land border between Bulgaria and Turkey. We can strengthen border management capabilities. We can also provide infrastructure and equipment such as drones, radars and other surveillance equipment. As we have done in recent years, for example, in Romania, Spain, Greece and Poland. And we can increase the presence of Frontex,” he said.

At the same time, the Chairman of the Commission stressed that the situation in the Central Mediterranean must be addressed urgently. Therefore, he stressed, it is necessary to support EU member states and their North African partners in coordinating search and rescue operations.

“The EU should focus on a faster and more dignified return,” said the President of the European Commission. According to him, every year Member States make about 300,000 return decisions, but only about 70,000 people actually return, and this needs to be combated. For example, a return decision in one Member State must be valid in all Member States. Thus, if a person who has received a return order from Italy ends up in France, that person can return directly to their country of origin. According to von der Leyen, this will be possible thanks to the Schengen Information System, which will be launched in March.

Source: RES-IPE