The EU Council has adopted what it calls “a landmark reform” of the European asylum and migration system by signing off on ten legislative “A items” of the controversial EU Migration pact.
Ireland and Denmark did not take part in the adoption of the 10 acts choosing not to cast any votes in relation to 10 aspects of the pact and are therefore not bound by them or subject to their application.
These include the EURODAC regulation, the asylum procedure regulation, and resettlement regulation, however Ireland has opted in to the pact overall.
The Council says that the pact amounts to a “complete overhaul of EU asylum and migration system” – however, critics have argued that signing up to the pact hands over border security to the European Union and removes power to regulate migration from individual member states.
The Council says the move “establishes a set of rules that will help to manage arrivals in an orderly way, create efficient and uniform procedures and ensure fair burden sharing between member states.”
Belgian State Secretary for Asylum and Migration, Nicole de Moor, said, “The asylum and migration pact will ensure a fairer and stronger migration system that makes a concrete difference on the ground.”
He continued that, “These new rules will make the European asylum system more effective and increase solidarity between member states. The European Union will also continue its close cooperation with third countries to tackle the root causes of irregular migration. Only jointly can we find responses to the global migration challenge.” he said.
The EU says the pact will improve screening regulations, which “will allow national authorities to refer irregular migrants and asylum applicants at an external border to the relevant procedure and will make sure that identification, security and vulnerability checks and health evaluation are carried out in a uniform way.”
It says that new rules regarding the updated Eurodac database will allow authorities “to gather more accurate and complete data (also biometric data) on various categories of migrants, including applicants for international protection and people arriving irregularly in the EU. This will help inform policy making and enhance the control of irregular migration and unauthorised movements.”
“The asylum procedure regulation streamlines the European asylum procedure and introduces a mandatory border procedure in well-defined cases. The return border procedure regulation deals with the returns of people whose application in this border procedure is rejected.” it said.
Independent TD for Laois/Offaly, Carol Nolan who is critical of the pact previously told Gript that the agreement “will have generational significance and it will fundamentally undermine our sovereign capacity to shape and dictate our own immigration policy.”
Nolan slammed the Dáil handling of the bill saying that there had been a lack of adequate debate.
“To insist that it go to Committee prior to a full Dáil debate is simply not acceptable in these circumstances. I understand that there is a normal procedure for these matters and that technically the Government may be within its rights to put forward this Motion, but this is not a normal pact and this is not just another issue that can be sent to Committee without the full and robust engagement of the entire Dáil happening first.”
I and my colleague, Mattie McGrath, Leader of the Rural Independent Group, will vigorously oppose this Motion and insist that the Pact is debated prior to its referral to Committee.”
“We need to hear, on the record where exactly the other opposition party’s and groups stand on this. It should not be relegated to Committee before the Irish public know precisely where they stand. Sending it back to us after the issues has been subjected to limited Committee debate is just on,” concluded Deputy Nolan.