European Ministers of the Interior and Justice today discussed the migration deal agreed by government leaders last month. In Logroño, Spain, the main focus is on implementing the agreements made, says Europe reporter Stefan de Vries. ‘This concerns primarily asylum procedures at the EU’s external borders.’

According to De Vries, this procedure should take into account people who have a low and high chance of obtaining asylum permission. Apart from that, the principle of solidarity was also discussed. This principle requires countries to accept asylum seekers. According to De Vries, this last topic will certainly become a hot topic of conversation.

Also read | Tunisia will receive millions of dollars to act as Europe’s border guard

The agreement concluded between the European Union and Tunisia is separate from this migration agreement, but will be discussed indirectly, De Vries hopes. Outgoing Prime Minister Rutte played a leading role in finalizing the agreement with Tunisia, but this agreement has been criticized by the European Parliament. ‘Parliament feels sidelined. Some members of the European Parliament spoke of the deal as suspicious and doubted whether there was a legal basis for the agreement.’

Eastern Europe

The main topic of discussion was the role of Italy, Greece and summit host country Spain. These are the countries most visited by immigrants. “That is also one of the reasons why this summit is being held in Spain,” explained De Vries. ‘Spain is now the president of the European Union, but it is also one of the countries in the Mediterranean Sea where many migrants cross the sea.’ Spain itself is having great difficulty in receiving migrants, causing major problems in the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla. “Countries around the Mediterranean Sea will try to convince the northern and eastern regions of Europe on this issue. ‘Particularly in Eastern Europe, there is no need to accept asylum seekers, and there is little unanimity on this matter.’

Also read | Poland and Hungary continue to derail EU migration deal

Division

A clear pathway for the reception of asylum seekers is not expected to be established at this time. De Vries hopes for clear agreement on certain parts of the new asylum policy. Political interests in the European Union are very different, elections will be held soon in the Netherlands and Spain and Poland is threatening to hold a referendum on the asylum issue. ‘There is a lot of discussion in member states regarding asylum policy, which is politically very complex. Member states confront each other in Brussels.’ However, De Vries hopes there will be a document containing ideas on how to overcome the asylum crisis.