Brussels – EU interior ministers approve new rules for deporting migrants

LUXEMBOURG, October 1 /ATSH-DPA/ – The interior ministers of the European Union gave final approval today to new legislation aimed at increasing the deportation of migrants, while several member states are seeking tougher measures following the mass border crossing at Spain’s Ceuta enclave at the end of July.

The approved legislation creates the legal basis for setting up deportation centres outside the EU, for migrants who are legally obliged to leave the bloc but cannot return to their countries of origin. The new rules also provide for new obligations and possible punitive measures for asylum seekers whose applications have been rejected, and expand the possibility of detaining people deemed a national security risk until their deportation.

At the meeting in Luxembourg, EU interior ministers also discussed the consequences of the mass border crossing at the end of July, when around 72,000 migrants arrived in Ceuta within a few days, sparking a diplomatic crisis and clashes among EU member states over responsibility for the situation.

In September, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a new European framework for responding to crises. It would allow temporary deviations from asylum rules in cases where migration flows were organised and used against the EU. Details of the proposal have not yet been presented, but several European ministers have called for further restrictions. German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt supported the idea of introducing special asylum rules for crisis situations. According to him, there may be cases where it would not be necessary to apply standard asylum procedures.