EU adopts strictest, stricter law against migration

EU countries and the European Parliament agreed on Monday to a controversial law aimed at accelerating the return of illegal legal migrants to stay in Europe, marking the bloc's worst migration policy change in decades, Euronews reports.al. Periscope.

Policymakers say the so-called Return Order is the key to accelerating returns and is the cornerstone of the EU's crackdown on irregular migration.

It also reflects a broader political change in Europe, with conservatives - sometimes backed by extreme right - pushing for a tougher approach to migration.

According to official figures, only 29% of illegal legal migrants to stay in Europe leave the EU.

"This is a very important step to ensure that we have control over what is happening in the EU, over who comes, but also who should leave the EU", Home Affairs Commissioner Magnus Brunner told reporters at the end of the talks.

At the heart of the law is a provision that allows EU countries to create deportation centres outside the bloc, known as the turning centre, if they link an agreement with a non-EU country.

The next"step is to work harder on migration diplomacy, along with third countries", Bruner said, avoiding the mention of any third possible country to deploy return centres.

The centres may be either transit countries or countries where one person is expected to stay, marking a significant change from current rules.

Most migrants can only return to their country of origin or to a country with which they have a proven connection. Under the new system, this request will be removed. Only unaccompanied minors will be excluded from deportation to a return centre, while families with children will be acceptable.

Several EU countries are already working to identify potential partner countries for future return centres. Germany, Holland, Austria, Denmark and Greece joined last March to implement the Controvers project, while Italy is already implementing a similar scheme in Albania, with two centres accommodated by less than a hundred immigrants total.

The law also allows EU countries to control a"residential location or other relevant sites"of irregular migrants, a provision that NGOs and civil society compare to the notorious raids conducted by the American Migration and Customs Office (ICE).

The"Despond is deliberately unclear to allow a broad interpretation in the various member states. It opens the doors for home raids and also raids on associations' environments helping migrants and health care institutions", Eleonora Celoria from Asgi, an Italian legal expert association, told Euronews.

While she acknowledged that in many member states, police will still need a court order to enter private residences, she described the law as"disturbing", as it may encourage authorities to expand their competencies.

Other provisions include longer periods of ban, stricter entry bans and new competencies to find irregular migrants.

The maximum legal period of ban on irregular migrants waiting to return from six months to two years, with a possible six-month extension and an unlimited duration for persons considered a security risk.

The entry bans will also become noticeably tougher, increasing from five to ten years in most cases, with the possibility of eternal detentions for those considered a security risk.

Another change involves appeals. Under current rules, deportations are automatically suspended as legal challenges are pending, while the new law would end that automatic protection, allowing courts to decide case by case if a return order should be halted.

The regulation also presents a European Return Order to facilitate the mutual recognition of returns decisions in all member states, but it will remain voluntary.

The implementation deadline was the most difficult issue in negotiations between the Council and Parliament. Under the compromise agreement, some provisions will take effect 12 months after the regulation enters into force. The council initially called for two years.

Civil society associations and left-wing Eurodeputs have criticised the text, saying it would endanger the lives of migrants and violate fundamental rights.

The newly finalised “text today is the result of a shameful agreement: the legal arsenal that serves a xenophobic ideology is now complete”, the Green Eurodeputt/ EFA, Mélissa Camara, for Euronews after the talks ended.

This regulation will create a draconian detention and deportation system, from keeping people in custody for immigration up to 30 months to family division and sending people to countries that do not recognise”, said Sylvia Carta, an official access to Picum, a network of various organisations supporting migrants without documents.

The law will now have to be approved formally by Eurodeputs and EU countries and could be in force as of next month. /Periscope