Today in Brussels, during a meeting of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice, and Home Affairs (LIBE), ECR MEP Patryk Jaki presented a report on the instrumentalization of migration and asylum.
“The ECR Group recognizes the need for a legal response to the Belarusian regime’s practice of exploiting migrants as part of a hybrid attack on European Union member states,” said Patryk Jaki.
The Polish politician also noted that the proposal under discussion, aimed at countering the instrumentalization of migrants, must be supported by other measures, such as cooperation with third countries and addressing the root causes of migration, as well as decisive, consistent measures against non-cooperative countries, particularly with regard to returns.
The document presented by Patryk Jaki contains several key points, including extending the time limit for processing asylum applications from 16 to 20 weeks. It also stipulates that member states may decide at their borders or in transit zones on the admissibility and substance of all registered applications for international protection, which gives them greater flexibility and the ability to respond more quickly and initiate procedures. It also introduces simplified and faster national return procedures for individuals whose applications for international protection have been rejected. Furthermore, the report proposes giving priority to applications for international protection from persons with special needs, minors, and those whose applications are clearly well-founded. Furthermore, in cases where the determining authority is able to make a positive decision regarding the granting of subsidiary protection based on the available evidence, it introduces the possibility of waiving the interview.
Finally, it allows Member States to request, through a new Council implementing decision, an additional 6-month period for applying the derogation, thereby strengthening the Council’s role in monitoring and assessing the situation.
“The urgent implementation of these proposals is a necessary step toward ending the hybrid war that Lukashenko and Putin are waging on the EU’s border,” said the EP rapporteur.
