New Pact

In this written question, fourteen MEPs inquiry the Commission on the lack of SAR operations in the Mediterranean in the proposed new Pact on Migration and Asylum.

When presenting the New Pact, the Commission put a lot of emphasis on the need for an effective return policy. The argument which Commissioner Johansson kept using was that only one third of the asylum seekers are being granted asylum, although analyses clearly show that during the previous years around 60 percent received protection, including in appeal. Another assumption underlying the proposals is that the current legislation on return procedures is causing ineffective return policies. This was exactly the reason behind the proposed recast Return Directive which is still under negotiation.

Pushbacks at our external borders have become a widespread practice. Why are these violations so persistent, and what can be done to stop them? We need a wider scope of the newly proposed monitoring mechanism, stricter enforcement of the rules and stronger scrutiny from the European Parliament and Commission.

In this webinar hosted by TOBB Brussels in collaboration with the EU Turkey Forum, Tineke Strik intervened at minute 31:10.

On the 28 October 2020 the Greens/EFA organised a webinar titled "Migration Pact: a better future for migration and asylum in the EU?"

The expectations were high before the launch of the proposals for a New Pact on Migration and Asylum. A new impetus was desperately needed in order to achieve a real harmonisation of asylum policies and most of all, a fair responsibility-sharing of asylum claims among the Member States.