Cyprus’ Interior Minister Nicos Nouris said on Saturday that the bloc should consider modifying the mechanism to file asylum requests outside the EU, either in the countries of origin or transit of migrants “and in any case before their arrival on European territory.” He said that he intends to raise this issue on behalf of the Republic of Cyprus during the upcoming Home Affairs Council, in Luxembourg.
Nouris was speaking following the conclusion of the MED5 Summit, in the Akamas region, in Paphos, that brought together the Ministers responsible for migration and asylum from the five Mediterranean EU countries (MED5).
During the Summit, MED5 Ministers confirmed their position in favour of implementing an effective mandatory solidarity mechanism that will address the needs and disproportionate pressure frontline countries are faced with, ahead of the EU meeting in Luxembourg, next week.
“The MED5 are persistent with this position as they deem that the implementation of solidarity on a voluntary basis cannot make an effective contribution, particularly to frontline Member States,” said Nouris following the Summit’s conclusion.
Nouris hosted fellow Ministers responsible for migration and asylum, from Greece, Italy, Malta, Spain, in the presence of the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior of the Czech Republic, whose country is at the helm of the six-month Presidency of the Council of the EU. The Italian Minister of the Interior participated via video conference, as did the European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson.
Concerning Cyprus’ proposal to modify the way asylum applications are filed, Nouris said it aims at terminating first and foremost the exploitation of migrants by smugglers that puts them at risk, especially at sea, without depriving them their right to file an application for asylum.
He said that now was the time to take “drastic and preventive action and decisions.” In response to a relevant question, he said that the proposal may require a series of legislative changes and amendments, at the same time, though, it targets smugglers and aims to uphold the interests of “people facing hardships.”
According to this proposal, people who want to file an asylum application will have the alternative option to do so in their country of origin or transit, without being exposed to risks and when they get a reply from the country they applied to, then “they will be able to safely travel and the country to receive them.”
“I would like to thank my fellow Ministers for the constructive spirit of common understanding in which we have handled the crucial issues and challenges before us” Nouris told his counterparts who assessed together the progress in the work on the European Pact on Immigration and Asylum in view of the forthcoming meeting in Luxembourg.
He also said that all five countries reaffirmed their position on “the need for effective protection of the external borders of the European Union, including the Green Line which, although not an external border of the Republic of Cyprus, unfortunately is the crossing point for almost 94% of irregular migrants” from the Turkish-occupied areas.
According to Nouris they also discussed the issue of the instrumentalization of migrants from third countries and the meeting confirmed its position, as expressed in previous interventions and, in particular, with the adoption of a Regulation on the subject, which the Czech Presidency promoted with the contribution of the Minister of the Interior, Vit Rakusan.
He also said that the discussion once again highlighted the concern of all participants about increasing migratory flows, to which the refugee flows from Ukraine, are now added.
“In Cyprus, the applications for temporary protection by Ukrainian refugees alone, already reached 16700, while 14200 such permits have already been examined and granted” the Interior Minister said, adding that a total of 54000 Ukrainians arrived in Cyprus, out of which 39000 have already returned to their country.
“If the 16700 asylum seekers who arrived in Cyprus in 2022 are added to these figures, the government’s reasoning for taking effective deterrence measures on the Green Line is immediately understood,” Nouris added.
Cyprus’ Interior Minister said it was “imperative” to implement an effective mechanism of mandatory solidarity, he welcomed, nevertheless, the initiative of Germany and France, which offered the Republic of Cyprus the possibility of relocating at least 500 migrants to each of the two countries by the end of the year, with the prospect of this number gradually reaching 1500 to each of these two countries.
He welcomed Vatican’s continued solidarity in relocating a number of migrants, as well as similar initiatives towards the Republic of Cyprus by Romania and Bulgaria.
Moreover, he said that the Swiss Government is assisting the Asylum Service of the Ministry of the Interior with the amount of 10 million euros and referred to a relevant agreement to be signed by the competent Ministers in Bern on 31 October.
He noted, moreover, the Czech Republic’s financial assistance of 1 million Euros to support the efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Returns Office, which “under extremely difficult conditions, managed to return in the course of this year, almost 5000 irregular migrants to their countries of origin.”
This puts Cyprus in the first place among EU Member States in proportion to its population and in the second place in real numbers, when it comes to returns, Nouris added.
Furthermore, he expressed his satisfaction for the inclusion in the MED5 Summit joint communiqué, of the recommendation of Cyprus on the need for an urgent reassessment of those third countries that are currently classified as unsafe and are the source of the largest migratory flows to Europe “in order to put an end to the exploitation of asylum systems by those who do not really need them.”
The adoption of preventive policies must rank high among the EU’s priorities, per the Interior Minister, who said that “consideration should also be given to the possibility of modifying the asylum application mechanism so that asylum applications can be filed outside the EU, either in the countries of origin or transit of migrants and in any case, before they arrive on European territory.”
Source: Cyprus News Agency