Brussels has put in writing the list of safe countries of origin, which include Bangladesh and Egypt, and given the green light to return hubs. Now we will negotiate with Parliament. Piantedosi: «The centers of Albania strongly propose to be active in all the functions for which they were conceived»
«The turning point that the Italian government asked for in terms of migration has taken place». With these words, the Minister of the Interior, Matteo Piantedosicommented on the change of direction of Brussels. The EU Home Affairs Council found a common position on the regulations that promise a crackdown on irregular immigration, speeding up and simplifying repatriation procedures. The new features include the EU list of countries of origin defined as safe, the modification to the concept of safe third countries and the green light to create the so-called “return hub” abroad. The measures also include a ban on entry for migrants considered a security risk. The agreement allows the Council to start negotiations with the European Parliament to shape the final legal text.
The list of safe countries of origin
In the regulation the list of states considered safe is put in black and white. The list includes candidate countries to join the EU, such as Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, North Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey, but also Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, India, Kosovo, Morocco and Tunisia. Therefore, the asylum requests of citizens coming from these countries will be examined with an accelerated procedure, already at the border or in the transit zones. Such applications are considered less valid than those submitted by people from other states.
Commenting on this turning point was the Danish Minister for Immigration, Rasmus Stoklund: «Every year tens of thousands of people arrive in Europe and ask for asylum, even though they leave from safe countries, where there is generally no risk of persecution. The first EU list of safe countries of origin will help create faster and more efficient asylum procedures and the repatriation of those who do not need protection.” Also Plant yourselfexpressing satisfaction with the successful outcome of the negotiations, highlighted that «the definition of a European list of safe third countrieswhere in addition to the candidate countries for membership, countries such as Egypt, Tunisia and Bangladesh also appear it is in line with the measures already adopted by Italy”.
Changing the concept of safe third country
This change allows EU member states to reject an asylum application without assessing its merits. In fact, the request may be “inadmissible” already at the time of submission if the asylum seeker could have obtained international protection, for example by passing through, to a non-European country considered safe. They have been identified three options to apply this concept: if there is a link between the asylum seeker and the third country; if the asylum seeker has transited through a safe third country before arriving in an EU territory; whether there is an agreement with a safe third country that ensures that the asylum application is examined.
The repatriation centers
The regulation defines that “the country of return” can be a state with which there is an agreement which provides for the acceptance of a person who does not have the right to reside in the EU. These agreements can only be entered into with Third countries that respect «international human rights standards and principles of international law». It is also specified that “these repatriation centers can act both as centers for repatriation to the final country and as centers of final destination”.
With this green light comes the relaunch of the Italian experiment on centers in Albania. Piantedosi, in this regard, commented: «The centers of Albania strongly propose to be active in all the functions for which they were conceived, therefore the places of detention for the exercise of accelerated border procedures, but above all to apply for be the first example of those return hubs which are cited precisely by one of these approved regulations”.
Solidarity pool
The EU Council also found an agreement on the so-called solidarity pool. That is to say the set of commitments undertaken by non-first arrival EU states towards those of first arrival, to ease migratory pressure. From June 12, the pool provides for 21,000 relocations or 420 million euros in financial contributions. It seems that the self-interest in financial contributions could prevail, so that non-first-arrival EU countries do not have to welcome new migrants. And in the list of EU member states that find themselves “under migratory pressure” Italy, Spain, Greece and Cyprus are included. However, Piantedosi explained that the government’s priority is “border control”. Therefore, the need for these solidarity mechanisms would be bypassed.
