EU reaches agreement on refugee distribution, arrivals increase

The European Union (EU) on June 8 reached an agreement allowing member states to share the reception of asylum seekers more fairly.

EU đạt thỏa thuận về phân bổ người tị nạn, lượt nhập cảnh gia tăng

The European Union reached an agreement on the distribution of refugees during negotiations on June 8 - Illustration photo. (Source: DW)

Speaking at a press conference the same day, Swedish Interior Minister Maria Stenergard, who chaired the negotiations, said that if applicants do not have a chance to get asylum in the EU, they will be returned immediately and all asylum applications will be processed within a maximum of six months.

Countries unwilling to accept asylum seekers will have to pay a financial contribution of 20,000 euros ($21,571) per person into an EU-managed fund to support migrants, Ms. Stenergard said.

However, according to EU Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ms. Ylva Johansson, the issue of where rejected asylum seekers will be sent back remains the biggest sticking point in the negotiations.

Earlier, the European Commission published an EU action plan to manage the Western Mediterranean and Atlantic routes, popular border crossing routes for illegal migrants.

According to the latest report, in the first four months of the year, the number of arrests of migrants along the Central Mediterranean route increased by 28% to nearly 42,200. The number of arrests on other migration routes decreased by 7% to 47%. Since the beginning of the year, migrants crossing the Central Mediterranean have accounted for more than half of all illegal entries into the EU.

According to analysts, economic crisis, political instability, increasing violence and conflict... are the main reasons why many people in countries such as Libya, Tunisia, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Pakistan... decide to seek new lands.

In addition, warmer weather during the transition from Spring to Summer is also the reason for the increase in the number of people seeking to immigrate to Europe.

Source