An EU immigration system that works

Since the formation of the ECR Group, we have pointed out the flaws in the EU’s migration system and been the voice of reform and change for the Common European Asylum System. As one of the ECR Group’s founding principles, this is a key priority. The EU system currently in place is not effective in dealing with the modern challenges of globalisation, regional conflicts and poverty, and mass migration.

First and foremost we need a migration system which respects the voice and wishes of its Member States and its citizens. For any EU migration system to be sustainable, then it needs to have the full backing of all of its Member States and the people of Europe. The EU cannot continue to impose an immigration system which is backed by only a few of its Member States. A system of cooperation rather than compulsion must prevail.

Instead, the EU should be focusing on getting the basics right. The ECR believes a more sustainable level of immigration to the EU can be achieved if:

• we provide more support for Member States to protect the EU’s external border,
• increase the rate of returns for failed asylum seekers to their country of origin,
• combat abuse of the EU’s asylum system,
• strengthen the role of FRONTEX,
• adopt EU wide measures which have the backing of ALL Member States,
• and continue to work with third countries to reach cooperation agreements to prevent migrants making the life-endangering journey across the Mediterranean to the EU.

The ECR Group understands that in order for immigration in the EU to be sustainable, and for the genuine and most vulnerable asylum seekers to be able to be helped first by the EU, it is essential that Member States are able to return failed asylum seekers to their country of origin. The ECR led important legislation which provides Member States with a standard European travel document to speed up the return of non-EU nationals staying irregularly in EU Member States without valid passports or identity cards. A key aim of the ECR Group was to strengthen the form’s security features and technical safeguards, so as to promote its acceptance by third countries.

Before the introduction of this document, third countries were reluctant to accept the return documents provided by Member States, for reasons that include inadequate security details and varying formats. However, this document addresses many of these flaws in the system. Whilst this is not a magic solution, it is an important step towards combatting abuse of the EU’s asylum system, and increases the EU’s ability to reduce the number of failed asylum seekers still residing in the EU. Since this document has been introduced by Member States, the number of returns has increased.

The ECR Group has also written a number of policy papers on this incredibly important challenge, and how we think the EU could start to build a better, fairer, and more sustainable immigration system, we would invite you to read our ideas in more detail and let us know what you think!