Dublin regulation: Overhaul needed as the status quo will destroy the European Union. - Ambition should be to replace Dublin with a new EU Asylum system -
The European Commission will tomorrow issue a communication listing the options for the forthcoming recast of the Dublin regulation. The ALDE Group in the European Parliament strongly supports an overhaul of the regulation and calls for the Dublin regulation to be replaced by a new EU Asylum system, based on a fair distribution system for all asylum seekers between EU Member States.
ALDE’s spokesperson on the refugee crisis and Dublin rapporteur in the European Parliament, Cecilia Wikström MEP, commented: ”It has become increasingly clear that the Dublin regulation is no longer fit for purpose. A recast of this legislation is long overdue and vital if we are to be able to provide a collective, effective response to the refugee crisis.”
”The reality is the implementation of the Dublin Regulation has failed, in part because asylum procedures are applied in so many different ways. Today, we have 28 systems who apply similar criteria in very different ways. The last months have shown that the asylum procedures of the Member States are not applied in the same manner. An asylum seeker has much less chance to receive asylum in Hungary than in Germany and this makes a European response impossible.”
”A new EU Asylum system should be developed, based on a fair sharing of responsibility between Member States. The country of first arrival criteria should be removed from the Dublin regulation and replaced with a fair and mandatory distribution mechanism between Member States, using a formula based on population, wealth and reception capabilities.”
”In order to give Member States who do not have a large tradition of receiving asylum seekers appropriate time to put in place the necessary administrative practices to ensure good reception conditions and high quality asylum procedures, in accordance with international and European law, a transitional rule should be envisaged.”
Guy Verhofstadt, leader of the European Liberals and Democrats Group said this evening;
”The overhaul of the Dublin agreement is an essential step if we are to put in place a much-needed collective European response to the refugee crisis. Under the Dublin regulation, we have witnessed a race to the bottom in which Member States compete to become the least attractive for refugees; but this has paralysed Europe.”
”Member States must instead agree on a new EU Asylum system based on a fair distribution scheme of refugees between all participating Member States. This new system would need to be applied progressively once measures to secure the EU’s external borders and manage migration flows are effectively implemented and bear fruit. Applications for asylum could then be made to the EU and not to a specific Member State.”
”It is unlikely the EU-Turkey agreement will reduce the numbers of migrants and refugees’ arriving in Europe, so now is the time to finally put in place a workable European system to manage this crisis in a legal and humane way.”
”I have no doubt that agreeing reforms will be challenging, but the EU simply has no choice. It is unlikely the European Union will be able to survive the status quo. I would urge the Commission to now move quickly and produce a fast-tracked legislative proposal as soon as possible.”
