Common European Asylum System comes into force
After ten years of negotiations and preparations, the Common European Asylum System comes into force today. The system is meant to centralise data collection, distribute the burden more fairly among EU member states and limit immigration overall – for example by setting up centres for fast-track asylum procedures at the EU's external borders. Media reactions are for the most part sceptical.
Deterrence as the main impact
The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung comments:
“It won't lead to a complete halt to immigration via the asylum system, as the radical forces in Europe envisage; this would be virtually impossible in today's EU. The new system is more restrictive but it was a political compromise. Its greatest impact could be its deterrent effect. If the likelihood of reaching one's desired destination in Europe decreases and the prospect of deportation increases, many people may decide not to embark on the dangerous and expensive journey in the first place.”
Human rights deprioritised
NRC fears that the pact will lead to a further erosion of migrants' basic rights:
“EU member states want to strike deals with countries that score poorly in terms of the rule of law and democracy. ... The 'regional reception' scheme so highly praised by European decision-makers often turns out to be a prelude to human rights violations in practice. Anyone who has followed the European migration debate over many years cannot avoid the impression that universal human rights – the very foundation of the EU – are increasingly taking a back seat to the political desire to show resolve.”
Brussels has too much say
The Fidesz-aligned newspaper Mandiner fears for Hungary's sovereignty:
“The pact grants the European Commission enormous power. ... It can determine the number of migrants to be relocated among the member states and also increase this number if deemed necessary. The Commission can decide whether a member state is under migratory pressure and is therefore entitled to be exempted from the relocation quota. It will also decide which countries are considered safe third countries ... The decisions on these three key issues will be taken outside Hungary and be entrusted to actors who have demonstrably not always acted in Hungary's best interests.”