27 MEPs and representatives reached an agreement on Wednesday to reform the European migration system. This agreement toughens the rules against illegal immigration.
Published
Reading time: 5 min
MEPs and representatives of European states approved, on Wednesday December 20, the pact on migration and asylum, which defines new rules: reinforced control of migrants on arrival, closed centers near the borders for expulsion more speed of asylum refusals and compulsory solidarity between Member States. How is this agreement received in different European countries? Franceinfo visited Italy, Greece and Hungary.
“It’s a great success for Europe and for Italy,” wrote Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi. Rome has been pleading for the solidarity mechanism for months. But, paradoxically, and echoing the debate in France around the immigration bill, the‘Italy, which needs work immigration, promises a residence permit to 450,000 people within three years. Giorgia Meloni, who promised to stop illegal immigration, is opening the floodgates to labor immigration like never before in ten years.
Athens is satisfied with the migration reform adopted in Brussels
Since the start of the year, 44,900 asylum seekers have arrived in Greece. A constantly increasing figure. For years, Athens has been calling for a more inclusive reform of European migration policy. The Greek Prime Minister, the conservative Kiriakos Mitsotakis, welcomed this reform as “an important European response to the great national effort to implement a fair but strict migration policy”. He has always defended this idea of a strict but fair migration policy. For Athens, this agreement is also proof that this policy applied for four years was the right one.
This Greek policy consists of guarding the country’s borders by limiting the arrivals of migrants, but also of rescuing them if they are in danger while making it more difficult to grant refugee status. NGOs have repeatedly accused Kiriakos Mitsotakis of carrying out illegal pushbacks, which he has always denied. From now on, new arrivals are directed to reception centers during the examination of their file, centers closed to the press which are places of confinement according to NGOs.
But there have been recent changes in Greek migration policy. All undocumented immigrants who do not have a job will be deported, and those who do and have been in Greece for three years can stay as long as they have a job for three years. This measure is intended to compensate for a shortage of labor in the construction and agricultural sectors. 30,000 migrants will benefit from this new measure.
Hungary completely rejects this new European pact
Hungary was unable to oppose the vote on the Pact, which took place by qualified majority. “We strongly reject this migration pact. We will not let anyone in against our will”declared the Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Péter Szijjarto, as soon as the agreement was reached.
This is not very surprising; nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been refusing to welcome refugees and migrants for several years. But in principle, Hungary cannot block the application of this agreement and cannot refuse to receive refugees who would, for example, be relocated from Greece to Hungary. The agreement applies to all member states, which have the choice between two options: either accepting refugees into their country or contributing financially up to 20,000 euros per migrant. But there is no third choice on the menu.
If Hungary refused any solidarity with other countries, one could imagine that the European Commission would launch an infringement procedure against Budapest, which would not be the first time. In the end, Hungary would undoubtedly be condemned by European justice, but this would allow Budapest to play for time.
It is largely thanks to his anti-migrant speech that Viktor Orban won several elections. On public television, and in the many Orban clan media outlets, we hear every day that migrants are terrorists. It’s propaganda, with bogus reporting. But Viktor Orban’s voters believe it. There is no reason for the Prime Minister to change his tune, because it is his business.