Six EU countries have called for consistent deportations and a tightening of European asylum policy in a joint statement after talks on migration hosted by German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt.
Dobrindt invited his counterparts from France, Poland, Austria, Denmark and the Czech Republic, as well as EU Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner, for the meeting on Germany’s highest mountain, the Zugspitze, on Friday.
The resulting declaration outlines five priorities, agreed upon by the ministers, which include action against smuggling and trafficking, a focus on returning migrants and a commitment to building strategic partnerships with third countries.
The ministers say they are committed to bringing the proposals into the relevant EU institutions “with the goal of anchoring them in upcoming European decisions and initiatives.”
Deportations to Syria and Afghanistan in future
“Effective returns are essential for maintaining trust in a balanced European migration policy,” the joint declaration reads.
The ministers advocate a new EU Return Regulation to provide a “more harmonised legal framework which does not create unnecessary bureaucratic obstacles” for deportations.
The statement also stressed that returns to Afghanistan and Syria must be possible, just hours after the new German government completed its first deportation flight of 81 Afghan nationals who, according to Dobrindt, had criminal convictions.
‘Return hubs’
The ministers agreed that non-EU countries should take in people who are required to leave Europe, and called for “return hubs” to be established in these countries.
In these facilities, the ministers say national authorities should work closely with the European border agency Frontex, which should be given a stronger mandate to assist with returns.
Action against smugglers and traffickers
The ministers also called on the European Commission to push for international agreements on the exchange of personal data between the EU law enforcement agency Europol and relevant non-EU countries such as Turkey to reduce smuggling and trafficking.
Support for restrictive migration policy
The ministers stressed the need for a more restrictive asylum and migration policy, with French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau saying action against irregular migration was important for democracy and that European citizens were demanding it.
“We share the conviction that Europe must act with
determination and unity to reduce illegal migration effectively,” the statement read.
While the statement focused on the EU’s external borders, Polish Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said he wanted to ensure a return to border-free travel in the Schengen area, to which most EU countries belong.
Poland recently introduced checks at its borders with Germany and Lithuania in response to tighter border controls on German borders, ordered by Dobrindt.