It was 2016, and the new legislation on refugees was introduced to deal with the situation the EU was currently facing. Instead, it caused divisions between the Member States and enhanced the power of some populists in Eastern Europe. Today, it seems to be a mere memory.
By Stanislav Hodina and Camila Soumastre Molina
A wave of solidarity and changes in lots of governments have changed the stubborn position of some states. There is a greater willingness to compromise and the Member States have their preferences, but they seem to be more willing to give up some things, says a source close to the commission who has been present since the negotiations began: “They are not as divided as they used to be”.
The European Commission realises the lack of a plan and the urgency of finding one: “The current system no longer works. And for the past five years, the EU has not been able to fix it. The EU must overcome the current stalemate and rise up to the task”.
The new proposal mainly aims to reform two pillars of existing legislation. The first change relates to the single permit that allows migrants to work and obtain residence. The process for getting it will be shortened and unified.
The second reform is for the long-term residence directive. The new proposal would allow non-EU citizens to get residence periods in different member states to meet the 5-year residence criteria needed to stay long term and enhance the right to family reunification.
Although EU sources acknowledge that we are close to approval, none of them dares to guess when it will happen. During its presidency, France has made the discussions around the Asylum Package one of its main objectives.
The following countries in the presidential trio are Czechia and Sweden, countries with different backgrounds, but the rather negative perception of the 2015/2016 refugee crisis remains.
As Elisabeth Arnsdorf Haslund from UNHCR notes, Europe has a complicated past: “(In the past) UNHCR have been extremely concerned about increasing xenophobia, increasing negative narrative toward asylum seekers, refugees and migrants in Europe. We have seen countries and governments adopting very restrictive measures and legislation that is reducing the rights of refugees and making it difficult. And we have seen what we call pushbacks, which are illegal”.
Will the Member States manage to overcome their foul taste and finally find a common solution to this long-discussed issue?