Assita Kanko is calling for a more effective repatriation policy to solve the migration issue

Every year, some 400,000 to 500,000 non-EU nationals are ordered to leave the EU because they have entered the EU illegally or are residing illegally on EU territory. Barely 40% of them return to their homeland or to the country from which they travelled to the EU. Since the start of this year, the EU has received 31% fewer asylum seekers than in the same period of last year, but at the same time, the number of people returning has decreased. From July - when the travel restrictions were lifted - the number of applications increased slightly again.

The situation is untenable

During a debate in the Committee on Justice and Home Affairs on the negotiation and application of return agreements with the European Commission, MEP Assita Kanko pointed out today that this situation is untenable. “Increasing the return percentage of rejected asylum seekers should be a political priority for European leaders. The coronavirus pandemic has undoubtedly played a role in the low return percentages we have recorded this year so far, but the system has been coming up against its limits for much longer.”

Voluntary return doesn’t work

Some Belgian and European politicians continue to emphasise voluntary return. They have clearly not learned any lessons from the past, Assita Kanko believes. “We now know that the system for voluntary return is not working. Could we now perhaps also take a different approach instead of trying to resurrect a dead horse? In addition, of course, inaction and the lack of a binding legal framework within the EU Member States and their governments are also part of the problem.”

Resettlement agreements with numerous countries

In order to support the Member States in their migration management efforts, on 16 April, the Committee had already published some guidelines on the implementation of relevant EU provisions on asylum and return procedures and resettlement. The EU currently has formal resettlement agreements with Turkey, Pakistan, Russia, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Moldova, Ukraine, Belarus, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Cape Verde and Sri Lanka. Negotiations are also ongoing with Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, China, Jordan and Nigeria.

Completely reassess the approach to return and resettlement

It is high time to completely reassess our approach to return and resettlement, Assita Kanko says. “Backroom diplomacy and reassessing technical agreements with countries of origin can undoubtedly play a role in this. But we must also dare to go further: some countries of origin have been trying to slow things down for years. It is now time to get down to brass tacks, and the EU needs to see what instruments it can use to achieve this. Examples include visas or financial support. Only by establishing clear rules on return and resettlement can we get the system back on track. Not only do we regain the trust of our citizens in this way, we also send a clear signal to those people who are being persecuted and therefore also have the right to asylum. At the same time, in parallel, we must also work on the supply side and step up the fight against human trafficking.”