According to Frontex data, 330,000 irregular border crossings took place in 2022, an increase of 64% compared to the previous year and the highest figure since 2016, and 924,000 asylum applications in the EU
Them growing pressures on the EU’s external bordersWell, emphasized the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, during her speech to the Plenary of the European Parliament in Brussels, in view of the Summit of February 9 and 10, where, among other things, the immigration issue will be discussed.
“The asylum and reception systems in the Member States are under considerable pressure and the fact is that the majority of asylum seekers do not need protection. Return rates are as low as 22% and there is an increasing number of secondary movements,” von der Leyen said, pointing to the latest Frontex figures: 330,000 irregular border crossings in 2022, a 64% increase compared to the previous year and higher rate than 2016 and 924,000 asylum applications in the EU.
The President of the Commission said that at the European Council, next week, she will propose to the Heads of State or Government two separate areas of work: the legislative process and the operational actions that can start now.
Regarding the legislative process, the President of the Commission emphasized that the best answer is to adopt the New Pact on Migration and Asylumnoting that the European Parliament and the Council agreed to complete all legislative work before March 2024.
In terms of operational actions, von der Leyen pointed out mainly strengthening the external borders. “We have a common interest in strong external borders. The most pressing issues at the moment are on the land border between Bulgaria and Turkey. We can strengthen border management capabilities. We can also provide infrastructure and equipment such as drones, radars and other means of surveillance. As we have done in recent years for example in Romania, Spain, Greece and Poland. And we can increase the presence of Frontex,” he said. At the same time, the President of the Commission emphasized that the situation in the Central Mediterranean, where migratory pressure has increased significantly, and very often tragically at the expense of human life, must be urgently addressed. That is why, he emphasized, that EU member states and North African partners should be supported to coordinate search and rescue.
“The EU must focus on faster and decent returns”, the President of the Commission further pointed out. As he said, each year around 300,000 return decisions are taken by Member States, but only around 70,000 people are actually returned and this should be addressed. For example, a return decision in one Member State should be valid in all Member States. Thus, if a person with a return decision from Italy is found in France, that person can be returned directly to the country of origin. This will be made possible with the Schengen Information System which will be operational in March, von der Leyen said.
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