Spotlight: Several European countries tighten rules on asylum seekers

In recent days, several European countries rolled out tougher asylum regulations, as the European Union (EU) remains under tremendous pressure due to an influx of migrants.

SWEDEN PLANS TO DEPORT ASYLUM SEEKERS

Sweden is planning to deport up to 80,000 asylum seekers over the next few years, a government representative said on Thursday.

Swedish authorities received some 163,000 asylum applications in 2015 but the country is now planning to step up deportation efforts, Interior Minister Anders Ygeman told public broadcaster Swedish Television.

A spike in deportations should not be expected until a year from now, the minister said.

Swedish authorities were planning to charter jets for the specific purpose of sending migrants back to their home countries, the minister said.

The government is mulling over introducing government benefits for returnees, Ygeman added, meanwhile stressing the importance of stopping failed asylum seekers from staying in Sweden.

Asylum admissions peaked in Sweden in November when the country admitted up to 10,000 migrants per week, according to figures from its migration agency.

The Swedish government has since early 2016 been imposing fines on train, ferry and bus operators whose passengers enter the country from Denmark without valid photo identification.

GERMANY TO RESTRICT FAMILY REUNIFICATION

Leaders of Germany's ruling coalition struck a compromise on changes to asylum laws on Thursday, especially concerning family reunion for refugees, said German Deputy Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel.

According the compromise deal reached on Thursday, a waiting-period of two years would be introduced in the future for families seeking to join people who get so-called "subsidiary protection" in Germany.

Coalition leaders have also agreed to improve the situation concerning vocational training for refugees.

People who get trained in Germany, according to Gabriel, would be allowed to work for two years in the country after the training, regardless of their status.

In addition, other new regulations under discussions on Thursday included designating Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria as "safe countries of origin," as well as the construction of special reception centers where applications for asylum could be processed much faster.

FINLAND TO REJECT 60 PCT OF ASYLUM SEEKERS

The Finnish government said on Thursday that about 60 percent of the approximately 32,000 asylum seekers who arrived in Finland last year are expected to receive a negative decision.

Paivi Nerg, Permanent Secretary of the Interior Ministry, told Finnish daily Hesingin Sanomat that all the asylum applications would be processed by the end of May at the latest.

"Our estimate shows that the proportion of negative decisions to be made in Finland could be about 60 percent," Nerg was quoted as saying.

The ministry announced its plan earlier to set up one or more repatriation centers for those asylum seekers whose applications have been rejected. The plan has been pushed forward now, according to Nerg.

She said that there will be two kinds of repatriation centers -- one for those who receive a negative decision and want to leave Finland voluntarily, the other for those who wish to appeal against the decision.

Last week, the Finnish Immigration Service said more than 40 percent of the processed asylum applications in 2015 had been rejected.

DANISH PARLIAMENT TIGHTENS ASYLUM RULES

The Danish Parliament on Tuesday passed a controversial bill that tightens rules on asylum applications and empowers the authorities to confiscate valuables of asylum seekers to finance their stay in the country.

Under the law, Danish police will now be able to search the luggage of asylum seekers and seize cash and any individual items worth over 10,000 Danish kroner, or about 1,452 U.S. dollars. Wedding rings and any other items of sentimental value are exempted.

It also favors delaying family reunifications for some refugees by up to three years instead of one year, and making it harder for refugees to obtain permanent residency and to shorten temporary resident permits.

The bill also includes a 10-percent cut on benefits for asylum seekers and the abolition of the possibility for asylum seekers to live outside of asylum centers.

Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen on Tuesday rejected more austerity measures on asylum policy, saying that the focus should now be on getting refugees into work, and the EU must take control of the external borders.

AUSTRIA PROPOSES TOUGHER ASYLUM LAWS

Austria's Council of Ministers, the cabinet, on Tuesday proposed tougher laws to regulate the approval of asylum seeker status. The proposed laws will need parliamentary approval before they become effective.

The proposed laws will affect all asylum cases that have been approved since mid-November 2015, with each individual case to come under review after three years to determine whether the protection granted by Austria is still warranted.

Under the proposed laws, those who have been granted asylum have to make an application within three months if they want to bring their families to Austria, without having to meet additional financial obligations.

Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann said the proposed measures would help the government to limit its intake of asylum seekers in 2016 to the country's planned figure of 37,500. Endit