A few days after the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) issued a ruling restricting the methods of pushing back migrants, the French Ministry of the Interior defended on Saturday September 23 the controls carried out at its borders in view of “ terrorist and migratory context”.
“It is essential that the services of the Ministry of the Interior, in the terrorist and migratory context that we are experiencing, can have the means to protect the borders. The minister is paying particular attention to this”, we declare at Place Beauvau, where we judge that “the capacity for control and action of the State forces and services at the borders remains, to ensure border control and combating irregular immigration and associated security risks”.
Requested by the Council of State, itself referred to by several associations, the CJEU ruled on Thursday that France could not proceed in all cases to the refoulement to a neighboring country of a foreign national who had entered its territory illegally.
“The court judges that, in such a situation, a decision to refuse entry can be adopted on the basis of the Schengen Borders Code but that, with a view to the removal of the person concerned, the common standards and procedures provided for by the “Return” Directive must still be respected, which may result in depriving the adoption of such a decision refusing entry of a large part of its usefulness,” according to the CJEU judgment.
This decision still confirms the possibility for a “Member State which has reintroduced control at its internal borders [to] refuse entry against foreigners who do not meet the conditions of entry and stay », Says the Ministry of the Interior, contacted by Agence France-Presse. It will be up to the Council of State “to translate the scope into national law in terms of procedures”, the same source adds.
Pope calls for “hospitality”
The CJEU’s decision comes as the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, announced this week a strengthening of controls at the Franco-Italian border, with police and gendarmerie numbers set to increase from 500 to 700, in the primary objective of preventing irregular crossings following mass arrivals on the island of Lampedusa.
The issue of migrants in the Mediterranean was raised on Friday by Pope Francis on his first day of visit to Marseille. The sovereign pontiff castigated the “indifference” and “fear” of a Europe tempted by withdrawal.
“Two words resonated, fueling people’s fear: “invasion” and “emergency”, but those who risk their lives at sea do not invade, they seek hospitality,” launched the sovereign pontiff, who believes that this process must be managed “with European responsibility capable of facing objective difficulties”.
His comments, in a context of growing hostility in Europe towards candidates for exile, test the solidarity of the European Union. The Pope spoke in front of numerous French officials and European institutions, including the French Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin.
