Migration and asylum policy; Schengen area and Future of Europe
Commission presents next steps under the European Agenda on Migration and measures to preserve and strengthen Schengen
More effective and fairer EU i migration and asylum policy
The Commission i reviewed progress on the 2015 European Agenda on Migration and set out the next steps to put in place the missing elements of a stronger, fairer and more effective EU migration and asylum policy. A series of new initiatives were presented in key areas.
The Commission recommended a new EU resettlement scheme to bring at least 50,000 of the most vulnerable persons in need of international protection to Europe over the next two years. This is part of the Commission's efforts to provide viable safe and legal alternatives for those who risk their lives at the hands of criminal smuggling networks. The new scheme will be in place until October 2019 and will build on the current successful resettlement schemes which, having provided new homes to over 23,000 persons in the EU, are now coming to an end.
The Commission has set aside €500 million to support Member States' resettlement efforts and stands ready to provide financial support to Member States who sustain their relocation efforts beyond the current schemes.
Pilot projects for legal migration which the Commission can help finance and coordinate are foreseen together with new measures to make the EU's return policy more effective. In that respect, the Return Department will be significantly reinforced within the European Border and Coast Guard to ensure the Agency can implement a truly proactive return management approach and drive and coordinate the EU-wide management of returns.
The Commission also called on Member States to urgently make progress on the reform of the Common European Asylum System and make further efforts to work with countries of origin and transit of migration, in particular by providing additional contributions to the EU Trust Fund for Africa.
Preserving and strengthening the Schengen area
As announced by President Juncker in his letter of intent on 13 September in the context of the State of the Union address, the Commission also proposed measures to preserve and strengthen the Schengen area. The Commission is proposing to update the Schengen Borders Code to adapt the rules for the reintroduction of temporary internal border controls to the current needs to respond to evolving and persistent serious threats to public policy or internal security. Stronger procedural safeguards are also being introduced to ensure that border controls at internal borders remain an exception - a measure of last resort - and are used only if necessary and proportionate, limiting the impact on free movement. The Commission also published today a Communication on the measures already taken to respond to security challenges at the external borders and within the Schengen area, and a Recommendation to Member States on how to better apply, if needed, the current rules on temporary border controls. The Commission further invited the Council i to decide on the full integration of Bulgaria and Romania into the Schengen area, with Croatia becoming a full member once all the criteria are met.
Future of Europe
Ahead of the informal dinner of EU Heads of State or Government on 28 September in Tallinn, the College discussed the Roadmap for a More United, Stronger and More Democratic Union that President Juncker laid out in his State of the Union Address. The Roadmap sets the milestones ahead of the Extraordinary European Council in March 2019 in Sibiu, Romania and will be a basis for a first discussion on the future of Europe at the informal dinner of heads of state or government in Tallinn.
Related links
Press release on Migration and asylum policy
Factsheet: Towards and efficient and credible EU return policy
Factsheet: Opening legal pathways to Europe
Factsheet: Relocation - sharing responsibility: September 2017
Press release on preserving and strengthening the Schengen area
Q&A: Preserving and strengthening the Schengen area
Factsheet: The Schengen rules explained - September 2017