The EU takes a hard turn: more arrests, deportations and centers outside
The European Commission, led by Ursula von der Leyen, has put its new letter on the table. It is the Pact on Migration and Asylum, a package of rules that seeks to avoid another 2015 at all costs. That year, nearly a million people crossed the borders. Brussels says it is now ready. But the price is high: more control, more expulsions and a controversial idea.
The big news? “Return centers” far from here
The most striking change is the creation of these places in third countries, outside the community territory. It is not a totally new idea. Italy, with Giorgia Meloni, already has agreements with Albania to accommodate applicants whose request was rejected.
Brussels maintains that it is now better prepared to manage migration flows.
Other European governments are looking to Africa to replicate the model. The powers to track, detain and deport migrants are also expanded. The message is clear: the priority is deterrence and rapid return.
Behind all this there is an intense debate that will not go away in June, when the measures come into force. Respect for fundamental rights and the ethics of externalizing a complex human problem are questioned.
The international community watches. And thousands of families, somewhere along the way, are waiting to see how this rigorous new framework will change their lives, or whether it will leave them trapped in an even further limbo.
