Representatives of the twenty-seven member states of the European Union (EU) in Brussels reached an agreement on Wednesday, October 4, on the distribution of care for refugees and migrants in countries in crisis situations, an announcement that comes as the Twenty-Seven are expected to seal the European pact on migration and asylum in Grenada this week, after four years of negotiations. The agreement announced on Wednesday provides in particular that Member States which face a significant number of arrivals on their territory will be able to speed up procedures and seek solidarity from other EU countries, in terms of relocation of applicants. asylum or financial assistance.
“This is a real game changer that allows us to move the negotiations forward,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in a message published on X (formerly Twitter). The Swedish Minister of Immigration, Maria Malmer Stenergard, for her part, welcomed “that the member states have agreed on the crisis settlement, which is an important piece of the puzzle of the pact on immigration and asylum”, adding “[can] now move on to negotiations between the Council, the Commission and the European Parliament. It is important to put the pact [on immigration and asylum] in place, in order to guarantee order at the EU’s external borders and to reduce flows.”
Indeed, the agreement sealed on Wednesday will serve as a basis for negotiations between member states and the European Parliament, allowing countries to adapt the rules on asylum and migration in times of crisis. The twenty-seven heads of state of the EU are due to meet in Granada, Spain, on Thursday and Friday, to adopt a new European migration pact.
Interior ministers meeting last week in Brussels failed to reach an agreement due to a dispute over NGOs rescuing people at sea. The European Union wants to sign the pact before elections -key elections in Germany and Poland and European parliamentary elections in 2024. Countries such as Poland and Hungary remain strongly opposed to welcoming anyone from the Middle East and Africa, but members of the However, the European Union can reach an agreement by majority vote.