EU countries must prepare plans to implement the European Pact on Migration
European Union countries have until 12 December to draw up national plans to implement the European Pact on Migration and Asylum, according to directives published by the European Commission on Wednesday, according to Agerpres.
The EU Pact on Migration and Asylum tightens the rules on asylum, but also includes a “solidarity mechanism” consisting of mandatory refugee quotas for Member States, i.e. the relocation of some migrants from frontline countries to other EU Member States, and those who refuse these quotas will have to pay a contribution of €20,000 for each refused migrant or provide operational and technical support. The pact also stipulates that the processing of asylum applications from migrants coming from countries where there are no wars or other crises will be carried out in reception centres set up at the EU’s external borders, and those who do not qualify for asylum can be repatriated.
This reform of the European migration system aims to shorten the length of asylum procedures and increase expulsions of migrants in order to reduce illegal migration mainly from Africa and the Middle East, but also to redistribute migrants landing in Italy and other frontline countries to other EU countries.
Find out more about the Migration and Asylum Pact: