The EU reached a new migration agreement Wednesday that aims to overhaul migration and asylum processes as well as costs and regulations. The agreement also looks to limit the number of individuals entering the bloc.
The Pact on Migration and Asylum encompasses five key proposals. Included are proposals to better screening regulations, develop a common database to detect unauthorized movements, streamline asylum processes, establish a mechanism to ensure balance among member states’ responsibilities and to ensure that the EU is ready for any future crises. President of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement that the pact would “ensure that there is an effective European response to this European challenge.”
However, the pact has already faced strong criticism from numerous human rights groups, who have signed an open letter condemning the agreement. The open letter states that there “is currently a major risk that the Pact results in an ill-functioning, costly, and cruel system that falls apart on implementation and leaves critical issues unaddressed.” Amnesty International said that the pact will have a negative impact on the rights of migrants and asylum seekers, and that the “agreement will set back European asylum law for decades to come. Its likely outcome is a surge in suffering on every step of a person’s journey to seek asylum in the EU.”
Migration has been a central concern for EU nations since the 2015 peak, when there were over a million arrivals. Since then, the numbers have been much lower but have continued to escalate following a 2020 low point. This year, over 250,000 people have entered the EU, with a large proportion of these entering through the Mediterranean route. Some member states have expressed an unwillingness to host migrants and refugees who had arrived in Mediterranean countries, such as Greece, Italy and Malta. The European Commission proposed a new approach to migration and asylum back in 2020 as a way to share the responsibility between member states and improve procedures.
