According to information from diplomatic circles, a majority of EU interior ministers want to approve the controversial crisis mechanism on Thursday. German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has given up her blockade, paving the way for reform of the EU asylum system. According to Minister of the Interior Gerhard Karner (ÖVP), Austria will abstain from voting as things stand.
“We have to work hard and intensively on our migration pact and bring it to life, that is what we are struggling with today,” Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) emphasized in the council. He is happy that there has been some movement in the case in recent hours, so that “we are taking a step forward.” It’s about the total package. He is skeptical about crisis regulation, “because in some areas we see that there could be even more attraction.”
Austria would therefore strive for a “better solution”: “We must have clear rules at the external borders so that we can prevent images like those in Lampedusa.”
Germany expects “good results”
“We are still negotiating individual positions,” Faeser emphasized on Thursday morning. But she is convinced that there will be a good outcome in the end. It is important that Germany ensures, even in the event of a crisis, that a state does not use the crisis mechanism “carelessly”. The affected states should first have made full use of their own measures. If interior ministers reach a political agreement on Thursday, EU ambassadors could finalize the outcome that evening.
Breakthrough after years of debate?
EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said on Thursday she was “optimistic” about member states’ approval. European Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas, responsible for migration, also emphasized his optimism. “We are getting closer to the grand agreement that we have been working towards for years,” Schinas said. If ministers could agree on the crisis settlement today, the entire package could be completed before the European elections in June 2024.
After EU member states have so far failed to agree on a common position on a planned crisis settlement, the EU Parliament suspended negotiations on other parts of the migration deal last week. The crisis regulation is intended to establish exceptions to the asylum rules in case a Member State is confronted with a particularly high number of refugees.
Von der Leyen insists on agreement
On Wednesday, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, called for a quick resolution of the dispute over the planned reform of the asylum system: the continued instrumentalization of migrants by countries such as Belarus also shows that a quick political agreement is needed is. It is important to have common rules.
Conditions in prisons are virtually fixed
In June, EU home affairs ministers decided on plans for a far-reaching reform of the EU asylum system. Numerous enhanced measures are planned to limit illegal migration. In the future, people from countries considered relatively safe will be sent to tightly controlled shelters under prison-like conditions after crossing borders.
Closer cooperation with third countries is also planned. The asylum and migration pact proposed by the European Commission includes a total of seven regulations and two directives.
Source: Krone
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