Success of EU Migration Pact depends on cooperation and solidarity
In the media image: Christian Lue on Unsplash
The EU Migration Pact’s rules take effect in June. Dutch immigration law is being prepared for these changes and national rules introduced to tighten asylum policy. Immigration law expert Mark Klaassen commented on developments in ‘NRC’ newspaper.
The introduction of the pact and the related national measures have sparked political debate in The Hague, where their effectiveness and feasibility in particular are questioned. The European Migration Pact focuses on cooperation between Member States, with agreements on reception, distribution and border procedures. The recently rejected Asylum Emergency Measures Act was a national attempt in the Netherlands to tighten asylum policy here.
Experts point to remaining uncertainties: will it actually be possible to send rejected asylum seekers at the external borders back to their country of origin or to so-called 'return hubs'? And will all refugees actually report to the reception centres at those external borders? And what will happen if Member States fail to comply with the new EU legislation, and countries at the external borders allow asylum seekers to travel onwards to Central and Northern Europe? Klaassen is keen to temper expectations about the Pact: 'The plans convey a strong belief in how much can actually be changed through legislation.'
More information?
Read the full article in NRC (€, in Dutch)