European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said ahead of an EU summit focused on migration that the EU would “draw lessons” from Italy’s controversial policy to process migrants off the coast of Albania. ‘There is a possibility.
He made the remarks in a letter to member states ahead of a meeting in Brussels on Thursday and Friday, where he said the European Commission would submit new proposals for legislation to increase deportations of migrants.
Von der Leyen, who has just begun her second five-year term as European Commission president, appears to be responding to pressure on migrants from across Europe.
In a letter to member states, he said that the return rate for irregular migrants from EU member states is currently only around 20%, which means that the majority of people ordered to leave EU countries have not returned. Said it means not.
Many simply stay put or move to other countries in the region, she said.
Ms von der Leyen said that all decisions taken by other EU countries should be recognized to ensure that “migrants who have been given a return decision in one country cannot avoid returning to another country by exploiting the flaws in the system”. von der Leyen wrote.
Her comments came as Italy launches long-awaited plans to send some migrants rescued in the Mediterranean to Albania for processing.
Earlier this week, 16 men of Bangladeshi and Egyptian descent were transferred from the migrant hotspot of Lampedusa, off the coast of Sicily, to one of two dedicated centers on the Albanian coast, where their asylum claims will be assessed. It became.
The center, which cost around €650m (£547m), was due to open last spring but has been plagued by long delays and has been paid for by the Italian government and It will be operated in accordance with the law.
They will house the migrants while Italy reviews their asylum claims. Pregnant women, children and vulnerable people are excluded from the plan.
Political opponents of Italy’s right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and several NGOs have criticized the agreement between Italy and Albania.
Riccardo Maghi, a member of parliament from the left-wing +Europe party, said Albania’s plan was “cruel, futile and expensive” and the NGO Doctors Without Borders said it “could lead to further harm and human rights violations”. “It’s expensive.”
But Mr Meloni, speaking to MPs on Tuesday, insisted the plan was “a new, courageous and unprecedented path that fully reflects the European spirit”.
The implementation and outcome of the Albania agreement will be closely watched by many EU member states, some of which will respond to the surge in support for far-right parties by toughening their voices and approaches to immigration. It is said that
In recent weeks alone, Germany has reintroduced land border checks, the French government announced it would consider toughening immigration laws, and Poland announced plans to temporarily suspend asylum rights for people crossing the border.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the controversial move was aimed at stopping Belarus from accepting large numbers of migrants and “destabilizing” Poland.
Horrible murders in France and Germany have sparked calls for tougher measures against migrants. In Solingen, a Syrian national who failed to apply for asylum stabbed three people to death, and near Paris, a young student was murdered by a Moroccan national. In both cases, the killings were carried out by men who had been given unenforced orders to leave.
Last month, 15 member states signed Austria and the Netherlands’ proposal to improve the “efficiency” of the deportation system.
