EU member states reach agreement on new asylum and migration policy, Foreign Minister de Moor: “This is a revolution” | outside

The new agreements regulate, among other things, the assessment of migrants from safe countries at European external borders. Asylum seekers with little chance of survival can then be immediately detained and eventually returned. “Access countries” such as Italy and Greece are now assured of assistance from other member states. They capture a number of asylum seekers, or forgo this obligation if they do not want to do so.

The agreement was hanging by a thread, as Italy wanted more wiggle room to return the migrants to safe third countries. And during the vote on the final compromise proposal, which was still hotly debated in the last hours, the Italian minister finally gave his approval.

Only Hungary and Poland voted against, while Malta, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Lithuania abstained. The Czech Republic wants to withdraw from the solidarity mechanism due to the large number of Ukrainian refugees already on its territory.

So the agreement was not approved unanimously, but the qualified majority needed to ratify the two bylaws was found. Member states must still conclude agreements with the European Parliament on the two legal texts. These negotiations may not be able to reach the Belgian presidency of the European Union, in the first half of 2024. The Belgian representation in the European Union has already responded enthusiastically to the “historic” agreement.

For years, EU countries have failed to come up with a common asylum policy. Southern countries such as Italy and Greece in particular complain that others have let them do it alone. Western European member states only want help if “countries of arrival” take in asylum seekers themselves and do not allow them to travel to their preferred country, as previously agreed. Eastern European countries like Hungary refuse to accept immigrants at all.

On Thursday, numbers, amounts and targets were mainly discussed. It was agreed that 120,000 asylum-seekers should be screened annually at the external borders and that at least 30,000 places should be made available for this. Every year, 30,000 asylum seekers must also be distributed across Europe on the basis of the principle of solidarity, but just like asylum capacity, this is a target that will be updated every year, depending on real migration flows. Countries that want to put money on the table instead of seizing migrants will have to pay €20,000 per person for it.

Secretary of State Nicole de Moor (CD&V) spoke of a “very significant hurdle” that had been taken.

Member states also agreed on a key breakdown of the number of immigrants they receive. For Belgium, it is 3.19%. In the case of 30,000 resettlements (but this figure is revised each year), that would be the equivalent of 957 people.

The fact that it is now possible to find a compromise is a “historic” fact, according to several of the 27 immigration ministers who managed to secure the agreement on Thursday. Once also agreed with the European Parliament, the new agreements can come into force.