For a fair and efficient asylum system in Europe
Greens/EFA proposal
This paper lays out the GREENS/EFA vision for the future of the common European asylum system. Its scope is limited to the most contested elements of the upcoming European Commission proposal on the new Pact on Migration and Asylum: the creation of an external border procedure and a revision of the Dublin Regulation. There are many other challenges in the EU asylum and migration policy that are not touched upon in this paper.
The paper focuses on : ensuring effective and efficient asylum procedures; protecting the right to seek asylum; departing from the principle of first entry to ensure fair responsibility sharing among Member States and prioritising incentives over coercive measures to prevent irregular movements of asylum seekers from one Member State to another.
An additional background information covering the failures of the Dublin system and of border procedures as envisaged by the European Commission accompanies this paper. This background document also gives deeper insight into our proposals for ensuring that all Member States comply with EU asylum law.
Our approach in a nutshell
For a well-functioning European asylum system, fair, fast and orderly procedures at the borders will be established.
- Asylum seekers arriving at the EU’s borders will be registered in common and open registration centres and undergo security checks.
- Asylum files will be registered and processed in a common database system accessible to national asylum authorities and the European Union Agency for Asylum.
- Asylum seekers will be interviewed shortly after their arrival to identify specific needs and determine the Member State of allocation.
- The European Union Agency for Asylum will be responsible for a final decision on allocation and management of the allocation mechanism.
- Responsibility for asylum seekers will not be allocated to a Member State on the basis of the principle of first entry. Instead, all Member States will share responsibility.
To fairly allocate asylum seekers, a two-stage system with positive incentives to enhance solidarity will be implemented.
- Voluntary solidarity, drawing heavily from the willingness of regional and local communities to welcome asylum seekers. All real costs will be subsidised by the EU.
- ’Solidarity by all’, if voluntary pledges do not suffice in capacity, Member States either create new allocation places or financially contribute to the overall expenses related to welcoming asylum seekers. If pledges fall short, the European Commission should trigger a warning system - the yellow card procedure - and take further measures in case Member States fail to respond.
To avoid that asylum seekers move irregularly from one Member State to another, the system will focus on incentives to stay, rather than on coercion.
- Personal links and preferences of asylum seekers are taken into account when determining a country for allocation within the available capacity.
- A level playing field for asylum seekers will be created in all Member States by ensuring full compliance with the Common European Asylum System through a transparent monitoring mechanism.
