Euractiv: EU countries to discuss tightening migration pact

On September 26, the interior ministers of 18 European countries will meet in Munich to discuss simplifications to the new EU migration and asylum pact. According to Euractiv, the parties, in particular, want to achieve a simplified system of deprivation of protection status for refugees for those who have committed serious crimes.

The meeting in Munich was initiated by Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt. In addition to representatives of EU countries, ministers from other countries, including the UK, will also attend the informal meeting. Euractiv, citing the documents with the agenda of the meeting, notes that it is also proposed to introduce AI as an interpreter for the processing of asylum applications in order to reduce the time for their examination.

Another proposal is to expand the information stored in Eurodac, the EU’s migration database. Currently, only biometric data is stored there, but according to Euractiv, some European countries are urging to take into account other information that border guards receive during checks.

The EU’s new migration and asylum pact came into force in June. Its main provisions: mandatory screening of third-country nationals at external borders, collection of biometric data; tightening of the procedure for verifying the right to asylum and accelerated expulsion regime in case of refusal; interaction of EU countries in the issues of relocation of refugees. In addition, the possibility of creating external centers outside the EU, where rejected asylum applicants will be deported, is agreed. In addition, EU ministers agreed on a “safe list of countries” where migrants can be sent, even if they are not connected to this state.

Lucine Balasian