The Netherlands and Austria have the support of thirteen European countries for a stricter return policy for rejected asylum seekers. The countries want the current European return policy to be tightened and, for example, to penalize asylum seekers if they do not cooperate in their return. The countries of origin must also be put under more pressure to cooperate.
The Dutch-Austrian proposal will be discussed in Luxembourg on Thursday at a meeting of justice and asylum ministers. Minister Marjolein Faber (Asylum, PVV) will argue for the stricter return policy on behalf of the Netherlands. The proposal will then be discussed at a European summit in Brussels next week. Because so many countries are already expressing support, the proposal is seen as an important political signal to the European Commission to further develop this plan.
Disappear into illegality
Returning people who are not allowed to stay in the Netherlands is difficult. According to figures from the Repatriation & Departure Service, 2,530 people left voluntarily and 2,150 forcibly in the first half of this year. Algeria, Syria and Morocco top the list of return countries. But a large group left for an unknown destination and most likely disappeared illegally. According to the service, this involved 4,270 people in the first half of this year.
Last week, the Netherlands and Austria received support from Denmark, Germany, France and Italy, among others, for stricter policies. The non-EU countries Switzerland and Norway, which are part of the Schengen area, also support the proposal. The discussion document that serves as input for the meeting of ministers speaks of “a paradigm shift in the return process”. Persons without right of residence must be held accountable, the document says. This could mean that rejected asylum seekers can be detained more easily.
It is also planned to put pressure on the countries of origin with visa and trade measures. For example, consideration would be given to restricting visa-free travel for diplomats from these countries.
Also read
Exhausted? You only get a bed if you say you want to go back
Closing deals
In 2018, the European Commission already made proposals to tighten this policy, including broader rules for imposing detention, but this did not pass the European Parliament. That is why this part has been removed from the Asylum and Migration Pact, which will be introduced over the next two years. According to this pact, security of the external borders must be increased. The EU also wants to better distribute asylum seekers among the member states and conclude more deals with countries that stop so-called irregular migrants, as has happened with Tunisia and Turkey.
The Netherlands itself concluded a treaty with Morocco in 2022 to return Moroccan nationals who have been rejected for asylum in the Netherlands. Since then, Morocco has cooperated again, although it was difficult at first. This agreement has been criticized because the Netherlands is not allowed to interfere in “Moroccan internal affairs”, for example about how the opposition movement in the Rif Mountains is treated. The previous State Secretary for Asylum, VVD member Eric van den Burg, said at the beginning of this year that the Morocco deal is starting to work well.
Also read
The Netherlands can deport migrants to Morocco again — but is no longer allowed to criticize the country
#major #European #countries #support #Dutch #plan #stricter #return #policy #rejected #asylum #seekers