The EU countries have been struggling for years to achieve a fair distribution of refugees in the 27 member states. As the French Interior Minister and current EU Council President Gérald Darmanin announced on Twitter on Friday, a “historic agreement” was reached at a meeting in Luxembourg, including on a system for the voluntary redistribution of refugees. Part of the “significant progress” is also stronger protection of external borders. Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) reacted sceptically.
According to Darmanin, a “great majority” of states have agreed on the two legal acts on the protection of the external borders and the solidarity mechanism for redistribution. “In the coming days, the French Presidency and the Commission will organize a meeting of the ‘Solidarity Platform’ to give concrete shape to this historic agreement.”
Karner clearly against distribution
Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) spoke out clearly against the distribution of asylum seekers in the EU. Karner emphasized that Austria would not accept any additional migrants through this mechanism, nor would it make any financial contributions. The political agreement was rejected by Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
“Control and registration at the borders – Eurodac and screening – are important steps in the right direction,” says Karner. “However, a redistribution of migrants in Europe is the opposite and mainly sends the wrong signal to the people smugglers. We therefore reject this proposal.”
Germany in solidarity
According to the German news agency (dpa), German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said Berlin would participate in a solidarity mechanism to support Mediterranean countries in dealing with asylum seekers. Berlin and Paris would move forward together, she said when asked how many refugees Germany would take in. She estimated that ten to twelve countries could participate. It was unclear whether they would receive refugees or provide assistance in any other way.
At the meeting, Karner welcomed a new proposal from the French Presidency of the EU Council on the Schengen Borders Code. Karner emphasized before a meeting with his EU colleagues in Luxembourg on Friday that it should also be possible in the future to carry out internal border controls if necessary. Freedom to travel is important, but you also have to pay attention to safety. What these internal border controls should look like, according to Karner, is the subject of today’s meeting.
ECJ: Border controls not legal
In the Schengen area, which includes 26 European countries, there are actually no permanent identity checks at national borders. In recent years, however, several states have made an exception and reintroduced controls. In the case of Austria, this has led to dissatisfaction, especially in its southern neighbor Slovenia, which sees no objective justification for the controls.
The ECJ recently ruled that Austria has not been able to prove that there has been a serious threat to public order required for the checks since 2017. A final decision rests with the competent court in Austria. This was appealed to Luxembourg’s highest court after a Union citizen challenged an administrative fine issued at the border with Slovenia.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
