European Union’s New Migration Pact

• Context (TH | IE): The European Union (EU) has agreed on reforms designed to share the cost of hosting and limiting the numbers of migrants and refugees.
• The pact still needs to be formally approved by the European Council, representing the 27 member nations, and the European Parliament.
• Recently, the UK Supreme Court ruled the UK Government’s Rwanda Plan for Asylum unlawful.
• The French Parliament also recently passed a new tough law on immigration.

Refugee vs. Asylum seeker vs. Migrant

What’s in the EU New Pact on Migration and Asylum?

Screening Regulation

• It envisions a pre-entry procedure to swiftly examine an asylum seeker’s profile and collect basic information such as nationality, age, fingerprints and facial image.

Expansion of Eurodac

• Eurodac will be expanded to contain additional biometric data such as facial images.

Asylum Procedures Regulation

• It sets two possible steps for migrants:
  1. The traditional asylum procedure, which usually takes several months to complete and
  2. A fast-tracked border procedure meant to last 12 weeks.

Asylum and Migration Management Regulation

• It establishes a system of “mandatory solidarity” that will offer countries three options to manage migration flows:
  1. Relocate a certain number of asylum seekers,
  2. Contribute for each claimant they refuse to relocate,
  3. Finance operational support.

Crisis Regulation

• Exceptional rules that will apply when the bloc’s asylum system is threatened by a sudden and massive arrival of refugees, as was the case during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• In these circumstances, national authorities can apply tougher measures, including longer detention periods.

What is the concern in the EU?

• More than 1.8 million migrants, mostly from West Asia and Africa, have come to Europe since 2014.
• The temporary migrant resettlement system was brought in 2015 to distribute migrants across the EU. However, it failed when many countries refused to meet their quotas.
• Treatment of migrants and related policies are major challenges for EU countries.
• Migration has now become a contentious electoral issue across Europe.
• The right-wing populists are capitalising on an anti-migrant sentiment.

Reasons for the refugee crisis

• The main causes behind the European Refugee crisis are listed below
  • Wars – Syrian War, Afghanistan war, Iraq war, Libyan war
  • Human Rights Violations
  • Economic hardships.
  • Dictatorship regimes and Islamic fundamentalism

Asylum Policy of France

• France has had a generous system for asylum-seekers.
• It provides asylum seekers up to 300 euros a month while they wait for their papers to be processed.
• They can apply for housing, get cheap meals, free health insurance and social security benefits while their application is being reviewed.

Fundamental Changes in the New French Law

• Longer wait for non-EU migrants to get social welfare benefits.
• Non-EU foreigners working in areas with a labour shortage, such as hospitality, construction and farming, can apply for a residency and work permit.
• Review of unlimited access to government-funded medical care for illegal immigrants.
• Asylum seekers whose behaviour constitutes a threat to public order can be placed in preventive detention, notably if there is a risk that the asylum seeker will flee.
• Children of foreigners born in France will no longer get French citizenship automatically. They will have to request citizenship once they turn 16.
• The French nationality of dual-nationals can be revoked if they are convicted of the voluntary homicide of a police officer or government representative.
• Unless students have financial needs or excellent academic results, foreign students requesting a student residency permit must make a refundable deposit to cover potential “sending back” costs.

UK’s Rwanda Plan

• The plan, officially known as the UK and Rwanda Migration and Economic Development Partnership, is an immigration policy proposed in 2022 by the British government.
• Rwanda’s plan aims to reduce illegal migration and net migration numbers in the UK.
• It involves relocating identified illegal immigrants or asylum seekers to Rwanda for processing, asylum, and resettlement.
• The U.K. will bear the accommodation and transit costs. The government had paid the Rwandan government £140m for the scheme.
• Successful asylum claimants would remain in Rwanda without the option to return to the UK.
• Rwanda will be the sole authority to recognise or not recognise the refugee status of an individual.
• If an individual is not recognised, they will be moved to their country of origin.
• Rwanda was not the first country to be approached; Tanzania previously declined the Deal.
• Policy would deter people arriving in the UK through “illegal/dangerous methods” — such as on small boats across the English Channel.

Why did the Judiciary Rule the Deal Unlawful?

• The UK’s SC found evidence that asylum seekers face a real risk of ill-treatment from refoulement.
• Rwanda’s human rights track record and non­compliance with assurances were taken as instances for considering the real risk of refoulement.

Italy’s Response to Refugee and Asylum-Seeker Crisis

• More than 600,000 migrants from Africa have arrived in Italy in recent years.
• Italy wants to deport 500,000 of them and fix the migrant resettlement system.
• It also wants to build migrant reception centres in Africa.
• The German government has suspended a voluntary agreement with Italy to take in migrants, accusing Italy of failing to live up to its obligations under the EU’s Dublin rules on asylum.