The spectre of additional border controls over the Schengen Area looms following a deadly attack in Solingen, Germany. The European Commission must balance national security concerns of member states with the integrity of the passport-free zone. Eight Schengen countries, including Germany, currently conduct border checks, which the Commission emphasizes should remain exceptional, limited in time, and justified by a serious threat. The recent knife attack in Solingen, claimed by the Islamic State, was perpetrated by a Syrian individual whose asylum application had been rejected, renewing debates on migration policies and deportation procedures within the EU.
German Chancellor German Scholz vowed to speed up the deportation process and prevent such incidents from reoccurring. Right-wing politicians seized the moment to demand stricter measures, including a proposed moratorium on Syrian and Afghan refugees and permanent border checks. The European Commission, focused on implementing the migration and asylum reform known as the New Pact, has refrained from commenting on these proposals. The Pact aims to streamline the asylum and return procedures, improve deportations, and establish EU-wide standards for repatriating migrants to safe countries.
The EU’s return rate currently stands at around 30%, and governments are constrained by international law from returning asylum seekers to unsafe countries. The debate on repatriating migrants to certain parts of Syria continues without a resolution. The New Pact proposes creating an EU-wide list of safe countries of origin to facilitate deportations but faces challenges in achieving consensus among member states. NGOs have raised concerns that the concept of safe countries may not adequately protect vulnerable minority groups facing persecution.
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has committed to introducing a new common approach on returns to ensure mutual recognition across Europe. However, the diverse positions among member states on defining safe countries may hinder the establishment of a unified list. The issue of safe countries is expected to remain a prominent topic on the EU’s agenda, with ongoing efforts to address the complexities and nuances of return policies and deportation practices. While the New Pact represents a step towards harmonizing migration and asylum procedures, the challenges of implementation and achieving consensus among member states remain significant.
