The Swiss Justice Minister hopes that EU reform will reduce irregular migration

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) The European Union’s (EU) new migration and asylum pact aims to curb irregular migration within Schengen, Justice Minister Beat Jans said in Ghent on Tuesday.

This content was published on April 30, 2024 – 4:14 PM 4 minutes Keystone-SDA

The head of the Justice Ministry discussed the implementation of the pact with his European counterparts in the Belgian city on Monday and Tuesday.

From a Swiss perspective, the reform of the EU migration and asylum policy is a step forward, Jans told the Keystone-SDA news agency after the conference. He said Switzerland would benefit greatly if the targets were achieved.

Regarding implementation, the minister added that Switzerland does not need to completely revise its procedures, but the aim is to harmonize various data and processes with the EU.

The same information, such as fingerprints or facial recognition, should be collected and exchanged between the Schengen states, which would also simplify processes for Switzerland.

Application exams at the external borders

The new pact on migration and asylum was adopted by the European Parliament in early April and provides for asylum procedures at the external borders of Schengen. To this end, certain migrants would be placed in reception centers for up to 12 weeks so that their applications can be examined.

A Voluntary Solidarity Mechanism (VSM) is also planned to ease the burden on countries, especially at their southern borders. The intention is that migrants can be allocated to Member States, while countries that do not wish to participate can instead contribute financially or otherwise.

The government has yet to decide whether to participate

The VSM is not binding on Switzerland, but Switzerland could participate. Jans said the government would make its decision with full knowledge of all the facts.

He added that experience has shown that Switzerland ultimately benefits from supporting other countries. When asked whether he felt any pressure on Switzerland to participate, Jans replied that so far he only felt gratitude “that we are already participating in certain activities, for example with cohesion financing”.

The European Commission calls for speed

The next step is for the pact to be adopted by EU member states, which is considered a formality. States – including Switzerland – then have two years to implement the new rules at national level. The respective parliaments must ensure this themselves, and in Switzerland there is the possibility of a referendum.

Responsible EU Commissioner Ylva Johansson called for rapid implementation of the pact during a media event after the conference. Member States should submit their implementation plans to the European Commission by January 2025; however, she recommended earlier filing.

Pilot projects in Romania and Bulgaria have produced good results, Johansson said in response to a question from a journalist. She added that with the implementation of the pact, there was still the possibility that border controls within Schengen would be lifted again.

Adapted from the German by DeepL/kp

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