Irregular immigration: the 27 agree for a new law

Gathered at a European summit in Brussels, the 27 raised their voice on Thursday against irregular immigration, calling “urgently” for a law to accelerate expulsions, following discussions which also highlighted strong disagreements within the Union. “The European Council calls for determined action, at all levels, to facilitate, increase and accelerate returns from the European Union,” say the member states in the summit conclusions. They “invite” the European Commission to quickly submit “a new legislative proposal”.

The President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, took the lead on Monday, suggesting a new law on a timetable yet to be determined. A similar initiative failed in 2018, but “six years later, the debate has evolved”, “towards the right” of the political spectrum, notes a European official.

Previously, the 27 debated at length “return hubs”, a flammable proposal for the transfer of migrants to reception centers in third countries. The Italy of Giorgia Meloni, head of government and of the far-right party Fratelli d’Italia, has reached a controversial agreement with Albania, where the first migrants arrested in Italian waters are starting to arrive.

Several European officials have distanced themselves, including French President Emmanuel Macron, “skeptical”, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The “hubs” do not “address any of the problems and create new ones,” even squeaked Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

On the offensive, the Italians organized an informal meeting around Giorgia Meloni on Thursday morning to promote these “innovative solutions” against irregular immigration. Around ten countries were around the table including the Netherlands, Greece, Austria, Poland and Hungary of nationalist Viktor Orban, where the next European summit will be held in Budapest on November 8. Ursula von der Leyen also attended.

The Pole Donald Tusk insisted on the migratory pressure suffered by his country. Poland accuses Russia and Belarus of organizing an influx of migrants in a “hybrid” attack intended to destabilize the European Union in the midst of the war in Ukraine. Going against the general tone, the Spaniard Pedro Sanchez called for highlighting the benefits of legal immigration, particularly for work.

In May, the European Union adopted the migration and asylum pact, supposed to come into force in mid-2026, with a tightening of “filtering” at borders and a solidarity mechanism between the 27 in the care of asylum seekers. . Germany, France and Spain are pleading to accelerate its implementation.

Migration issues are coming back to shake up the agenda, pushed in particular by far-right parties, on the rise in many European countries. Some in the EU “hear what we have been saying for years,” rejoiced the leader of the French far right, Marine Le Pen, passing through Brussels for a meeting of Patriots for Europe, third political force of the European Parliament, after the June elections.

Several governments have raised their voices. The “Franco-German engine pushes us to act”, according to a European diplomat, while less than 20% of decisions to expel migrants in an irregular situation are followed up within the EU. “Irregular migration must be reduced. At the same time, the EU must remain open to the immigration of qualified workers,” argued the German Olaf Scholz.

The demand for a new law comes as the number of illegal crossings detected at the borders of the European Union fell by 42% over the first nine months of 2024, compared to the same period in 2023, according to the European Security Agency. Frontex border surveillance.

This European summit was held in a transition phase in Brussels, where the new Commission team should take office at the beginning of December. It is marked by the difficulties of several European leaders in their countries, particularly Emmanuel Macron, weakened by the explosion of deficits in France and the fragile connection with the new Prime Minister, Michel Barnier, from the right and without a majority in the National Assembly.