The European Council meeting among the 27 member states concluded yesterday without decisions. However, the possibility of creating reception centers for migrants in countries outside the EU, similar to the Italy-Albania agreement, was discussed.
President U. von der Leyen supported this idea, as she mentioned in a letter three days ago, stating that the EU could “learn” from this agreement.
The President of the European Commission also said that her institution would soon propose new EU legislation regarding the expulsion of asylum seekers whose applications have been rejected.
The Italy-Albania agreement allows rescued migrants to stay in reception centers in Albania until their asylum is granted.
Speaking at a press conference, von der Leyen said that only one-fifth of the people whose asylum applications are rejected are sent back to their countries of origin.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis expressed doubts during his remarks at the European Council regarding the implementation of such a bilateral agreement at the European level. He noted that ways should be found to promote “legal migration” over “irregular migration.”
However, he was optimistic about similar “ideas,” and in an interview after the European Council, he emphasized that “EU migration policy has changed in recent years and has come closer to the Greek position.”
What is fyi.news?
