EU Interior Ministers Want to Leverage Visas to Improve Cooperation With Third Countries on Return of Illegal Migrants
The Ministers of Interior of the European Union Member States have shown their full support to the Commission’s previous proposal on the usage of Schengen Visa processing rules as leverage for pushing third-countries to cooperate with the block on the return and readmission of illegal migrants.
During a video conference held on Friday, March 12, the EU Interior Ministers discussed the improvement of cooperation with third countries on return and readmission of illegal migrants, AtoZSerwisPlus.com reports.
The meeting was focused on a proposal of the European Commission and the Portuguese Council Presidency to use visa measures as a means to increase the willingness of third-countries to cooperate with certain countries on return.
Present at the meeting was also the German Federal Minister of the Interior Seehofer, who also supported the proposal, among others insisting that migration policy is not “a one-way street.”
“If countries do not cooperate on repatriation, there must be consequences. Those who do not take back their own citizens cannot expect any visa facilitation,” the Minister said throughout the meeting.
He also urged the Interior Ministers of the other EU Member States to make swift use of the leverage mechanism in order to push third-countries to cooperate in terms of readmission of their citizens who are illegal immigrants in the EU.
Among others, he pointed out that through the mechanism, citizens of cooperating countries on readmission would benefit from easier visa procedures and requirements.
The Interior Minister of the Czech Republic Jan Hamá?ek also showed his support for the mechanism, noting that the Czech Republic has long advocated a reform of the EU’s migration and asylum policy, which among others would help return people without the right of asylum in the EU to their home countries.
“It is necessary to improve control on arrival at the EU’s external borders, speed up asylum procedures and streamline the return policy, which will prevent the abuse of the European system,” the Minister said throughout the meeting.
In a press release, the Czech Ministry of Interior also reiterated that the country supports the possibility of adjusting the conditions of visas for third countries that do not wish to cooperate with the EU in the return and readmission of illegal migrants.
It also pointed out that the Czech government continues to reject proposals for mandatory quotas.
Previously in June 2019, the Council of the EU adopted several amendments to the Schengen Visa Code, which among others, foresee the creation of a mechanism that uses visa processing as leverage to improve cooperation with third countries on return of illegal migrants.
According to the updated Visa Code, which started applying in February last year, the Commission will evaluate at least once a year third countries’ cooperation on readmission of illegal migrants and find whether a third country is cooperating sufficiently.
In cases when the Commission concludes the authorities of a third country are not cooperating sufficiently, the citizens of that country may have to pay increased visa fees and wait for long periods for their visas to be processed. On the other hand, countries collaborating in this regard will benefit from shorter visa processing periods, lower visa fees, and visas with lengthier validity.
