BRUSSELS – Don’t fall into the trap of seeing the construction of walls at the EU’s external borders as a solution to the migration phenomenon. And rather favor repatriations to discourage illegal arrivals in Europe. This is the main message that the European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, addresses in an interview with the group of press agencies united in the European Newsroom project, in view of the extraordinary Council of 9 and 10 February.
A summit where the immigration file is back in the spotlight after the record increase in irregular crossings at the EU’s external border recorded last year. “A strong increase” which, according to the Commissioner, is not due to “wars or persecutions”: those who travel to Europe come mainly from countries such as Turkey, Georgia, Bangladesh, “with a low recognition rate” in protection proceedings.
Border fences financed by European funds?
Among the critical issues to be discussed at the summit will likely be the use of EU budget funds to build border fences. In the interview, Johansson said that the EU funds border protection, but “building walls and fences around the EU is not a good solution for many reasons.”
“We have an established principle of not funding walls and fences and I think that should not be changed. But I also believe that we should have a pragmatic approach. Obviously most of the funding for border protection comes from the national budget and we should focus on the best we can do with EU money,” Johansson added.
At the same time, the commissioner did not rule out the use of European funds to finance “physical infrastructure” at the external borders, such as border surveillance technology. In autumn 2021, more than ten EU states had asked the European Commission to use EU funds for the construction of physical border barriers, a request that Brussels then firmly rejected. More recently, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer asked the Commission for 2 billion euros for the extension of the border wall between Bulgaria and Turkey.
Schengen and internal border controls
In the Schengen area, border controls have been reintroduced between some of its members, for example at the Austrian-Slovenian border. “We need to remove internal border controls,” Johansson said on the matter. The European Commission – he added – is contacting the Member States concerned and neighboring countries to find a solution that will prevent irregular arrivals and protect countries against security risks without internal border controls.
During a meeting with his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte on January 26 in Vienna, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said that the border controls currently in place between Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Slovenia showed that the Schengen system was failing.
Implementation of the Dublin Regulation
Johansson underlined the importance of the proper functioning of Schengen, which also includes efficient registration of people entering the free movement area. “In Austria, for example, 75% of irregular arrivals were not registered before arriving in the country. In the Netherlands, the figure is 90%,” explained the commissioner. The Dublin Regulation obliges the country of first entry to process asylum applications submitted by migrants.
A system that ends up putting pressure on countries on the EU’s external borders, especially those like Greece, Italy, Spain and Malta, which overlook the Mediterranean. For years, calls for greater solidarity have been met with the refusal of many member states to accept a fixed quota of some of the tens of thousands of migrants who arrive in the EU each year.
Access to the Schengen area
Johansson confirmed that Romania and Bulgaria meet all the criteria to join the Schengen area. The commissioner said she was confident that there would be a decision on the entry of Romania and Bulgaria “fairly soon”, as Austria had vetoed the two states’ accession to Schengen at the end of 2022 due to irregular migration across their borders.
New pact on migration and asylum
“Good progress” has been made on the legislative package, explained Commissioner Johansson, saying she was confident that all aspects of the pact would be “decided during this mandate”. At the same time, the commissioner warned that “it will take a few more years before it is implemented in all its aspects”. In September 2020, the European Commission proposed the new Pact on Migration and Asylum, in an attempt to reform the current system, unable to withstand a migration crisis like that of 2015-2016.
Another central issue is the repatriation of migrants who are not entitled to international protection. EU interior ministers already discussed the issue last week. This debate should continue at the next summit. On January 26, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, wrote a letter to the Heads of State and Government of the EU, in which she presented her proposals for a more effective management of immigration, including the protection of external borders, faster returns and full registration of migrants reaching the EU.
