Is solidarity in migration matters finally taking shape in Europe? The interior ministers of the European Union (EU), meeting in Luxembourg on Friday June 10, managed to agree on a part of the new “Pact on migration and asylum”, which the European Commission had put on the table in September 2020. At the heart of the discussions, as for years: the fragile balance between “responsibility” and “solidarity”.
As soon as he arrived at the meeting, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin showed confidence, citing a “important day”which can lead to little internal revolution”. The project on the table consisted in particular of allowing Member States which do not wish to “relocate” migrants to their territory to participate in “the effort of solidarity” European Union, namely through a financial contribution.
A platform for Member States
“It is a very strong commitment to solidarity that we have had adopted”rejoiced Gérald Darmanin, emphasizing that “the principle is the relocation of people rescued at sea, and for those who do not relocate, mandatory financial and human support”. The minister who, owing to the French presidency of the Council of the EU (PFUE) obliges, was orchestrating the meeting, underlined that according to many delegations, it was “the first time that we collectively committed to solidarity, at the same time as we adopted extremely concrete things in terms of responsibility”.
Before the end of the EUPF, on June 30, the European Commission will have to set up a platform on which Member States wishing to participate in the relocation mechanism can indicate how many people they can accommodate.
The PFUE wants concrete progress
For Vít Novotný, an expert on migration issues at the think tank Martens Center (affiliated with the European People’s Party, on the right on the political spectrum), there is no doubt, “we can absolutely talk about solidarity, even if we opt for a financial contribution rather than relocation, because solidarity can be expressed in different ways”.
Southern European countries in particular would have preferred relocation not to be voluntary, but compulsory. “This is not the point of view of the EU of 27”, explains Vít Novotný. Similarly, these countries would have liked the “Migration and Asylum Pact” to be negotiated in one piece. But this is not the approach adopted by the PFUE, anxious to register at least some progress in terms of European migration policy during its six months at the helm of the Council of the EU.
Talks set to last
Thus, the commitments made in terms of solidarity do not have a legal character. On the other hand, the regulations “establishing a filtering third-country nationals at borders”as well as that revising the rules of Eurodac, a European database in the field of asylum and migration, were the subject of a “general approach” (read: an agreement) between the States, which now have their negotiating position.
But the Pact contains many other texts, more sensitive than these two, like the “new regulation on the management of asylum and migration” or “regulation on crisis situations and cases of force majeure”. The talks are therefore set to last.