Libyan authorities rescue refugees in desert near Tunisia
Al JazeeraJul 31, 2023
The Facts
EU member state representatives on Wednesday reached an agreement on how to address irregular immigration in crisis situations paving the way for establishing common rules on migration and asylum.
The agreement aims to ease pressure on countries like Italy, where many refugees arrive via the Mediterranean, and allow them to speed up their asylum procedures and ask EU countries for swift assistance — including financial support and relocation to other member states of the bloc.
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
The EU likes to portray itself as a human rights champion, but the deal proves that this is nothing more than empty talk when it comes to itself. What is missing from the whole discussion about "illegal migration" is how to enable people in need - including thousands of children to seek EU asylum legally and safely. Instead of offering protection, the EU wants to protect itself with its increasingly punitive asylum and migration policies, while the Mediterranean has become a cemetery for people trying to reach "Fortress Europe."
Pro-establishment narrative
After years of negotiations, it is no exaggeration to describe the deal as historic. EU member countries have shown solidarity with frontline states like Italy, and the joint measures will help prevent a refugee crisis like the one in 2015. Given that 250K people have already entered the EU through irregular migration again this year, sharing the burden of migration across the EU is mandatory. The EU has taken a big step in creating a robust migration and asylum policy that also ensures a minimum set of humanitarian standards during a crisis.
