A strict European return policy is the missing piece of the puzzle of the asylum and migration pact. There is a risk that the new European asylum system will come to a standstill without this part. The problem is big: only 20 percent of rejected asylum seekers actually leave the EU. The Netherlands has also been struggling for years to get rid of illegal immigrants.
European Commissioner Brunner launched proposals in March to deport these people more easily and quickly. Brussels even wants to make deportation centers possible in countries outside the EU. The Netherlands is already working on a ‘Uganda plan’.
But the Member States are stumbling over one part of the package: the mandatory recognition of each other’s return decisions. This means: if Italy rejects an asylum seeker from Morocco and this person then travels to Ter Apel in the Netherlands, our country automatically adopts Italy’s decision. The Netherlands is then responsible for organizing the return trip to Morocco.
End of asylum hopping
Brussels wants to put an end to rejected asylum seekers fleeing to another EU country to try again. Such a new procedure costs the Netherlands a lot of money, a scarce shelter and, if all goes well, the outcome remains the same.
But Berlin, among others, fears abuse of the arrangement: suppose Italy rejects everyone and allows them to travel to Germany. The German taxpayer then pays for the expensive and sometimes time-consuming return operation. Our southern neighbors are also afraid of this. “It is easy to say that someone has to leave, but then they come to Belgium and we are responsible for sending them back and the costs,” says Minister Anneleen van Bossuyt (Asylum). “Perverse incentives must be prevented.”
Rejected asylum seekers who are not entitled to our hospitality must be deported from the European Union much more quickly and easily. © ANP / HH
France calls it a ‘sham solution’ behind the scenes. Paris fears that rejected asylum seekers will appeal en masse to the French courts. As co-legislators, EU member states are in charge of the decision themselves. Some countries prefer a voluntary scheme.
If it were up to the Netherlands, the option to appeal again would disappear. “This is now part of the negotiations,” says outgoing minister David van Weel (Asylum). The VVD minister mainly wants to look at what works in practice: “If it helps to make return easier, we should do it, otherwise not.”
Group benefits from public resources
Temporary EU President Denmark hopes to get all countries on the same page with some adjustments. “Last year there were almost 1 million illegal immigrants in the EU,” says left-wing migration minister Rasmus Stoklund. “They are using our public resources, it is completely unacceptable.”
Luxembourg also discussed sending people back to Syria and Afghanistan. There is a debate about whether these countries are safe enough for return. People are already leaving voluntarily to return home. But some countries want more.
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“In our country we have Syrians with a temporary residence permit and some are guilty of serious crime,” says Swedish Minister Johan Forssel (Migration). “The situation in Syria is changing. We must find a joint solution.”
Austria deports criminals to Syria
Austria is already going a step further, Vienna has deported criminals from the country and sent them back to Syria. European Commissioner Brunner, himself an Austrian, calls it “a good example” during a press conference.
“But the situation is not yet stable enough for a mass return,” he says. Germany has now raised its hand to help other countries return people to Afghanistan.