Europe Sets Out to Fortify Borders Under New Migration Blueprint
- Previous proposals in wake of 2015 crisis have been log jammed
- Contentious Dublin Regulation will be overhauled in proposals
A migrant prepares food near a new makeshift camp after a fire at Greece’s largest migration camp on the island of Lesbos left 13,000 without shelter.
Photographer: Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP via Getty Images
The European Union’s executive arm proposed an overhaul of the bloc’s migration system, in a bid to avoid a repeat of the crisis that almost tore it apart.
Under the plan, all EU member states, not just front-line countries, will be required to help accelerate the return of migrants who don’t qualify to remain in the bloc. If a member state is struggling with large numbers of migrants, a “mandatory solidarity mechanism” will be activated, whereupon another country will either take responsibility for relocation, for returning the person back to their home country or through investing in asylum centers, according to the proposal.