EU lawmakers demand independent monitoring against migrant pushbacks

By Agnes Szucs

BRUSSELS (AA) — EU lawmakers on Thursday demanded independent monitoring mechanisms be set up to avoid illegal pushbacks of asylum seekers at the bloc's borders.

In a statement by the European Parliament, they also voiced support for tightening checks at EU borders for migrants who "do not in principle fulfill the entry conditions of an EU member state."

The measures, outlined in a set of legislative drafts to reform the bloc's migration and asylum system, include identification, fingerprinting, security checks, and preliminary health and vulnerability assessments that can later lead to an expedited return process in line with an original proposal by the European Commission.

To prevent illegal pushbacks, the lawmakers demanded EU member states set up independent monitoring mechanisms to verify if national authorities and relevant EU agencies, such as FRONTEX and the EU Asylum Agency, are complying with human rights standards.

The proposal also aims to improve the criteria that determine which EU member states are responsible for processing an asylum application.

It establishes a "binding solidarity mechanism to assist countries experiencing migratory pressure, including following search and rescue operations at sea," the statement said.

The highly controversial mandatory relocation procedure would be applied in crisis situations defined as "mass arrival of third-country nationals" when an EU member state can be allowed to derogate from EU law.

​​​​​​​Based on this position, that the European Parliament will start negotiating the reform with other EU institutions.

The package will guide the European Parliament's representatives during the talks with EU member states and the European Commission.

Once they agree on the final laws, the EU lawmakers will approve it officially.

However, it is uncertain if the law will pass as the bloc has been struggling to redefine its rules on asylum and migration since the 2015 crisis because of deep divisions between EU member states and institutions.