A group of EU member states led by the Czech Republic and Denmark is preparing a letter to the European Commission calling for migrants attempting to reach the EU to be transferred to separate third countries before they reach the bloc’s shores, Euractiv reports.
According to the letter, the signatories call for agreements with non-EU countries to which EU member states could send migrants intercepted at sea. The entire EU could then move to a model similar to the one agreed in November 2023 between Italy and Albania.
Under the plan, migrants travelling to Europe without the necessary documents would not even reach EU shores. The plan also provides for the transfer of those who are already in an EU country but have not been granted asylum there, suggesting that such migrants could be taken to a country outside the EU where they would remain until they are deported.
The letter was initiated by Denmark and the Czech Republic and supported by several EU countries. This approach is reportedly supported by most EU member states, including the Netherlands, the Baltic States and Italy. Italy was the first EU country to sign a bilateral agreement with a third country, Albania, to externalise migration procedures.
The Undersecretary of State at Italy’s Interior Ministry, Lega MP Nicola Molteni (ID), stated:
Outsourcing and relocation of asylum applications has a threefold function: to fight more effectively the criminal organisations dedicated to human trafficking, as a deterrence tool against illegal departures, and as a means of relieving migratory pressure on the countries of first entry, such as Italy or Greece or Spain or Cyprus or Malta.
The debate on externalisation is in full swing shortly after the European Parliament approved a new EU Migration Pact. Member States are expected to formally endorse the pact on May 14. Outsourcing of migration procedures would also be discussed at a migration conference in Copenhagen on Monday, Czech Interior Ministry spokeswoman Hana Malá reported.
“The conference will be a good opportunity to present the proposals of the Danish-led working group, with the representation of the majority of EU Member States, to complement the Pact on Migration and Asylum after the European elections with new measures, especially in the external migration dimension (including externalisation), based on a new type of such comprehensive partnership.”
Partnership with non-EU countries is also favoured by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. However, some groups, such as French liberals, have doubts about externalisation. For French MP Sacha Houlié, a member of President Emmanuel Macron’s majority party Renaissance (Renew), outsourcing migration processes is the opposite of the migration pact adopted by the European Parliament.
Sending people to countries that have nothing in common with their country of origin, such as Albania or Rwanda, poses a moral and ethical problem.
Italy did not approve of externalisation. Italian MEP Brando Benifei, head of the Democratic Party (PD/S&D) delegation to the European Parliament, called the idea “unacceptable”. Human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, also criticised the initiative.
“It is high time that European institutions recognise that the Italy-Albania agreement would create an unlawful and harmful system, which must be stopped. Instead of increasing people’s suffering, the authorities should ensure access to an effective asylum procedure, adequate reception, and safe, regular routes.”
According to migration expert Vít Novotný, the proposal to outsource the processing of asylum applications is likely to be difficult to implement, as EU rules are based on European asylum procedures taking place only on EU territory.
Now that even Germany is talking about similar solutions, which was unthinkable just a year or two ago, there is maybe a better chance of finding one or more such countries. But now I am only speculating.
