The EU interior ministers discussed on Thursday how more rejected asylum seekers can be deported to their home countries. “I think we just need more agreements with the countries of origin (…),” Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) said ahead of the meeting on Ö1. The European Commission in particular could put much more pressure on it.
To date, 22 bilateral repatriation agreements have been concluded with third countries in Austria. These mainly exist with EU countries, but also with Nigeria and Tunisia. There are also other repatriation agreements at EU level, such as with Armenia, Pakistan, Russia and Azerbaijan.
According to Minister Karner of the Interior, further agreements are needed to be able to deport more asylum seekers to their country of origin. At the meeting of EU interior ministers on Thursday, it was agreed that returns should be carried out faster and more consistently. Taking back one’s own nationals should be a precondition for partnerships and cooperation, it said. The committee expressed its willingness to make greater use of the “visa lever” in the future.
No money for border fences
“The rapid and consistent repatriation of migrants is an important signal. But at the same time, we need robust external borders. Here, the Commission should provide financial support to Member States for border security,” Karner said in a statement. However, there is no money for border fences, EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson told him. Other proposals from Karner, such as a general policy on deportations, were also rejected.
Less than one in three actually leaves the EU
The EU has been trying in vain for years to increase the so-called repatriation rate. In 2019, less than every third person (29 percent) of those forced to leave the EU actually left. In 2021 that was only 21 percent, probably also due to the pandemic. Between July and September 2022, the rate in Austria was every fifth person.
There are several reasons for the low quotas in the EU: for example, many EU states do not consistently implement their decisions and only a few countries make use of the possibility to use the EU agency Frontex for deportation flights. As already mentioned, there is also a lack of cooperation with third countries. No resolutions are expected at the meeting of the interior ministers. EU leaders will meet in Brussels on 9-10 February to discuss migration and asylum.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
