News Analysis : New European Agenda on Migration divides EU

Members of European Parliament (MEPs) debated on Wednesday the new European Agenda on Migration proposed by the European Commission (EC).

Among the measures announced by Brussels, the creation of an emergency quota system for the equal sharing of migrants has divided the European Parliament (EP) and raised opposition from several member states of the European Union (EU).

"Our immediate neighborhood is ablaze and Europe is seen as a refuge in these times of instability," declared Dimitris Avramopoulos, European Commissioner for Migration.

The temporary relocation mechanism aims to "help to reduce the pressure which is being put on the countries which have external borders," insisted the First Vice-President of the EC Frans Timmermans.

This plan proposed by Brussels seeks to distribute in a directive manner the refugees arriving in a "massive influx" between member states of the EU, as determined by several criteria like the GDP, population size, unemployment rates and the "effort" already consented to in terms of reception.

"To attack the roots of illegal immigration means to secure our borders and save lives, but also to correctly apply our shared regulations related to asylum, and we need a commitment from the member states," pleaded Timmermans.

Zanda Kalnina-Lukasevica, representing the Latvian Presidency of the European Council, praised the EC's initiative and the tripling of resources dedicated to the European agency for border management, Frontex. She recalled that the governments have also decided to launch a European military operation seeking to "put an end to the economic model of the smugglers."

"We are ready to continue to study the good work begun by the Commission," declared the German Christian-Democrat MEP Manfred Weber who praised "the mechanism of solidarity" that had been proposed.

For Timothy Kirkhope (European Conservatives and Reformists group, United Kingdom), on the contrary, "veritable solidarity is to offer aid because it is the right thing to do, and not because it is a restriction."

Nigel Farage (European Freedom and Direct Democracy Group, United Kingdom), for his part, affirmed he had alerted the EC that the common asylum policy did not include measures for security and that there was "a veritable threat that the Islamic State would use this policy to infiltrate our countries and present significant dangers for our societies."

In France, the debates around migration policy have been particularly turbulent. Prime Minister Manuel Valls, alongside Minister of the Interior Bernard Cazeneuve, visited the Italian border on Saturday, May 16. This system of quotas "has never corresponded to the French proposals," he affirmed.

Following Wednesday's meeting of the Council of Ministers, France had to clarify its position. "On the proposal to put into place a temporary quota system in the EU for asylum seekers with a clear need for protection ... France is decidedly favorable toward it in which these persons - and only these - can be, in a temporary manner and according to parameters to be discussed in greater depth, distributed more equitably," clarifies a press release.

Several political analysts affirm that these declarations from Manuel Valls are partially determined by internal politics. Valls would most likely to give the impression that his policies are not being dictated from Brussels while still keeping his opposition at bay.

For Serge Slama, a researcher from Reseau Trans Europe Experts, the French position is "hypocritical".

"In terms of percentage of the general population, we open the door to very few migrants. That doesn't stop the government from having an inverted discourse."

According to data gathered by Eurostat, 626,065 asylum requests were filed in 2014 in the EU. With 62,800 requests (or 10 percent of the total), France is in the fourth place, just behind Italy (64,625, or 10 percent), and long behind Germany (202,700, or 32 percent) and Sweden (81,200, or 13 percent).

France is one of the rare countries of the EU (with Slovakia, Croatia, Poland and Malta) where asylum requests between 2013 and 2014 have decreased (-5 percent according to Eurostat), while they have more than doubled in Italy (+143 percent) as well as Hungary (+126 percent) and have significantly increased in Germany (+60 percent) and Sweden (+50 percent).

Eurostat's statistics also reveal that the granting of refugee status - with an average of 45.2 percent in the EU - is only 21.7 percent in France, 9.3 percent in Hungary, 10.6 percent in Croatia, 13.5 percent in Luxembourg and 14.8 percent in Greece.

According to the criteria put forward in the proposal from Brussels (GDP, population size, unemployment rates and "effort" already consented to), France should accept 14.17 percent of people in cases of "massive" arrival, Germany 18.42 percent, Italy 11.84 percent, Spain 9.10 percent and Poland 5.64 percent.

In addition to the quota system, the "NAVFOR Med" naval operation has stirred controversy. Its objective aims to "identify, seize and destroy" the boats used by the smuggling networks before they are used to transport migrants.

Navfor Med should enter into action in June, since the EU is waiting for a resolution from the United Nations in order to have a legal basis for the operation.

According to several European diplomats, Russia being until now in the ranks of those opposing such a resolution, could soften its position if it did not include reference to the destruction of vessels.

June 15, the whole of the EC's plan will be put before the Ministers of the Interior gathered in Luxembourg, before being examined by heads of state and government during a June 30th summit in Brussels.

France, Great Britain, Hungary, and Poland have already made the opposition known. Britain, Ireland and Denmark retain the right to opt out on questions of asylum and immigration. Endit