The European Commission has included Spain among the four countries in the bloc that, because they are under greater migration pressure, can call for the solidarity of their partners and activate the mechanism set out in the new Migration and Asylum Charter so that … Part of the migrants who arrive illegally on its territory are transferred to other Member States.
This was stated in the first annual report on the situation of migration in the European Union, a document that does not announce the resettlement quotas that the countries concerned can reach once the Migration Charter is fully implemented; The reform is scheduled to take effect By June 2026 –Although countries like Hungary or Poland have not yet submitted their national plans, which is a necessary advance step–.
Specifically, Brussels identifies Spain and Italy as countries under significant migration pressure due to the migration crisis A “disproportionate” number of irregular arrivals For search and rescue operations on the high seas over the past year. It also sees Greece and Cyprus as being under pressure due to a “disproportionate level of arrivals” in the same period.
This classification Automatic activation is not included By the four member states, it even makes them “eligible” to benefit from the “solidarity reserve” provided for in the migration reform, which the Commissioner of the Interior and Migration, Markus Brunner, said in a press conference that it is “not ideal,” but it is “better than nothing.”
Brussels’ proposal on distributing the burden of hosting asylum seekers was supposed to be presented last October, but the Commissioner chose to postpone it without a date due to reservations expressed by several member states about accepting to be part of the solidarity partners, including Belgium, Finland and the Netherlands.
The mechanism in question, which will not be applicable until the Migration Charter enters into force, allows this solidarity to be implemented in a “flexible” manner with the aim of transporting at least 30,000 migrants every year, so that countries may refuse to receive a portion of the candidates for transfer in exchange for compensation. 20,000 euros for each rejected transfer Or means or money of similar value.
The Community Executive’s report therefore provides the legal basis for resorting to the transfer mechanism once it is formally established, although the transfer quotas will depend on a decision adopted by the Council(s).
Before that, governments must make their “commitments to contribute” in accordance with the criteria for equitable distribution set out in the Charter, and will be able to choose what form their solidarity will take, i.e. welcoming the transferred persons or taking responsibility for planned deportations, providing financial support or offering other alternative measures; Even combine several of them.
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