"Increased external action" against migration: draft European Council conclusions
Topic
Country/Region
31 January 2023
On 9 and 10 February the European Council will meet to approve conclusions on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the economy and migration. A draft version of the conclusions, published here, reinforces longstanding calls to increase the externalisation of migration controls.
Support our work: become a Friend of Statewatch from as little as £1/€1 per month.
Image: European Union
----------
UPDATE, 8 February
New draft version of the conclusions (pdf) including a call for "the mobilisation of EU funds and means to support Member States in reinforcing border control capabilities and infrastructure, means of surveillance, including aerial surveillance, and equipment. In this context, the European Council invites the Commission to quickly finalise the European Integrated Border Management Strategy"
----------
The draft conclusions (pdf) have six sub-headings concerning migration:
- Control of EU external borders: the Council "affirms its full support for the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) in delivering on its core task" and "calls for the rapid conclusion of negotiations on new and revised Status Agreements between Frontex and third countries"
- Increased external action: "The existing action plans for the Western Balkans and the Central Mediterranean should be implemented, and action plans for the Western and Eastern Mediterranean should be presented by the Commission [by the end of February 2023]," and "the European Council emphasises that the monitoring of neighbouring countries’ visa policy should be strengthened."
- Enhancing cooperation on returns and readmission: "Swift action is needed to ensure effective returns from the European Union to countries of origin using as leverage all relevant EU policies, instruments and tools, including development, trade and visas as well as opportunities for legal migration"
- Fighting migrant smuggling: "take forward the work on relevant tools, including measures against transport operators involved in migrant smuggling" (this concerns measures put forward in November 2021)
- Data on migratory flows: "The European Council invites the Council and the Commission, with the support of relevant EU agencies, to enhance situational awareness and the availability of data on migratory flows, both into and within the European Union."
- Pact on Migration and Asylum: "the European Council calls on the EU co-legislators to continue work on the Pact on Migration and Asylum as provided for in the Joint Roadmap agreed with the European Parliament in September 2022."
A report in The Guardian based on the conclusions states:
"The European Union could use development aid, trade policy and access to visas as “leverage” over non-EU countries that are deemed to be failing to take back their citizens denied the right to stay in Europe, according to a draft communique seen by the Guardian."
Documentation
- Special meeting of the European Council (9 and 10 February 2023) – Draft conclusions (Council doc. 5237/23, LIMITE, 23 January 2023, pdf)
- Special meeting of the European Council (9 and 10 February 2023) – Draft conclusions (Council doc. 5240/23, LIMITE, 6 February 2023, pdf)
Our work is only possible with your support.
Become a Friend of Statewatch from as little as £1/€1 per month.
Further reading
EU: Tracking the Pact: Civil-military "synergies" for external migration control
In early December the Czech Presidency of the Council circulated a note on the "state of play" of the EU's various asylum and migration initiatives, intended to inform member state delegations in the Committee of Permanent Representatives (COREPER). It is essentially a brief summary of work under the outgoing Czech Presidency. According to the note, this included the exploration of possible civil-military "synergies" in externalised migration control, through a meeting of the Council's External Migration Working Party with representatives of EUCAP Sahel Niger and EUBAM Libya.
EU: Democracy as a problem for deportations
In a "non-paper" circulated last April, the European Commission admitted that informal readmission arrangements are preferred to formal readmission agreements for a number of reasons - including the "possibility to keep the arrangement confidential."
Tracking the Pact: Unaccountable new decision-making bodies and "adaptable responsibility"
The latest Council draft of the Asylum and Migration Management Regulation (AMMR) includes a substantial number of changes, including the introduction of the concept of "adaptable responsibility" and an array of new bodies dominated by the member states intended to govern the implementation of EU migration policy.
Spotted an error? If you've spotted a problem with this page, just click once to let us know.