« European Union member countries have reached an agreement to overhaul the EU’s asylum rules during a session of the European Parliament held in Strasbourg on Wednesday.
EU envoys reached an agreement on a ‘crisis regulation’ outlining measures a country can take in the event of an unexpected mass migration toward its borders. The agreement also enables the 27 member states to enter negotiations with the EU parliament.
Under this deal, processing centres would be established at the EU’s external borders for screening arrivals, with provisions for detention until asylum claims are assessed. The pact also seeks to distribute migrants across member countries. This development is part of a broader attempt to reform EU’s asylum and migration policies.
« History is watching us. We must now put in place a common European migration and asylum system. A system that addresses all our difficulties, all our problems, with fast procedures at the border to identify asylum or return, with mandatory solidarity, helping member states under pressure, obliging all member states to contribute, according to their abilities and needs, » said Margaritis Schinas, Vice-President of the European Commission.
The pact to overhaul EU asylum rules was initially proposed in 2020, but it was stalled as member states debated responsibility-sharing and other issues. »
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