2023-09-28 14:17:36
Update
September 28, 2023
16:17
Germany finally gave its agreement to the Migration Pact on Thursday morning during a meeting of European Ministers of Internal Affairs. Shortly after this announcement, Italy blocked the text.
The suspense is at its height within the European Council. Against all expectations, Germany made an about-face this Thursday morning during a meeting of European Ministers of Internal Affairs by agreeing to the Migration Pact. But a few hours later, it was Italy’s turn to block the new text. The far-right Italian government, led by Giorgia Meloni (Brothers of Italy), is now weighinguncertainty over the agreement that was in sight between the Twenty-Seven.
For several weeks, Berlin has blocked any agreement on emergency measures in the event of migration crises appearing in the draft Migration Pact proposed in 2020 by the Commission. Late Thursday evening, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) finally concessions is affirming that his government would support the text on the table.
“Italy refuses to approve the new text.”
“We were close to an agreement within the Council, Germany having lifted its reluctance. But now Italy refuses to approve the new text“, a diplomatic source told us on Thursday.
The European Migration Pact has been at an impasse for several months and Europe is devoid of a real migration policy, faced with a lack of solidarity between the Twenty-Seven. A situation from which the far right intends to take advantage during the European elections scheduled for June.
Support from Berlin should pave the way for a qualified majority vote within the Council, which is the only way to overcome the opposition of Hungary and Poland. But without Italy, it is impossible to obtain this qualified majority.
“The situation in various countries shows the urgency of this reform, but we are on the right track,” said Belgian Secretary of State Nicole de Moor (CD&V) upon his arrival at the Council.
The clock is turning
This is not yet the end of the tunnel for the Migration Pact. Once an agreement has been obtained within the Council, trilogue negotiations, between the Council, Parliament and the Commission, must still take place before the adoption of the Pact. However, the European elections, scheduled for June 6 to 9, are fast approaching. The final trilogues will take place on February 9, under the Belgian presidency of the Council of the EU.
“If we don’t have an agreement very quickly, we have difficulty seeing how the trilogue negotiations will take place in time,” said a source. In the absence of a rapid agreement, the adoption of the Migration Pact would be postponed indefinitely.
The European Parliament has suspended negotiations on other Migration Pact regulations pending agreement on emergency measures within the Council.
The German government divided
“It was out of the question for Germany to continue to appear as the European country blocking the Migration Pact.”
According to our information, the German coalition was divided, with the Greens preventing agreement around the Commission’s proposal due to fears of human rights abuses. Eventually, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has decided. “It was out of the question for Germany to continue to appear as the European country blocking the Migration Pact,” specifies this source.
The blockage concerned the new rules governing migration crisis situations and cases of force majeurelike those that Europe went through in 2015. These rules make it possible to keep arrivals longer in detention centers at the external borders. They also allow faster asylum procedures for people with little chance of obtaining international protection, in order to return them more easily to their country of origin.
The Migration Pact also provides the rapid triggering of a compulsory and flexible solidarity mechanism to help the Member State in difficulty facing a crisis situation. Other member states will be required to relocate a certain number of migrants or provide financial assistance.
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