By Bruno Waterfield - 22nd January 2004
Refugees may swamp “fragile” asylum systems in ten new EU countries which will be on the frontline of an enlarged Europe's borders from May, the UN has warned.
Speaking to EU justice ministers in Dublin UN High Commissioner For Refugees Ruud Lubbers presented proposals aimed at helping Europe pull together a common European asylum policy.
He is concerned that the EU’s crackdown on illegal immigrants may concentrate the problem in countries ill-equipped to cope with the task of guarding ‘fortress Europe’.
“If we are not careful, we risk overwhelming fragile and under-resourced asylum systems in the new EU member states,” he said.
“If that happens then Europe's new harmonised legislation may simply create a new set of problems.”
Fast-track asylum processing in the EU, Lubbers warns, could see extra burdens placed on new European countries, and, ultimately, see the collapse of Europe’s refugee system.
“There are new EU states in central Europe which currently only have 15 or 20 asylum assessors. A decade ago they had no asylum systems at all,” he said.
“What is going to happen if thousands of extra asylum-seekers are sent back to them from the inner EU countries? There is a danger the harmonised procedures may simply collapse in the new border states, leading to more instead of less irregular movement between EU states.”
The Dutch UN chief told the EU ministers to halt “the downward spiral of ever more restrictive asylum legislation that is impacting negatively on the ability of refugees… to find sanctuary in Europe”.
Lubbers outlined a four-point plan for the EU to bring asylum policy in line with the UN’s vision.
Asylum reception centres on EU territory where “experienced teams of asylum assessors and interpreters” process refugees
Burden-sharing EU quotas to ensure the even distribution of refugees granted asylum across Europe
An EU Asylum Agency and an EU Asylum Review Board to manage the centres and set quotas
Europe’s justice ministers gave the Lubbers blueprint a guarded response, and the Irish EU presidency promised “lively debate”.
“I understand his point of view...but there is a difference of emphasis,” Micheal McDowell, Dublin justice ministers and EU president-in-office said.
Germany was frank in its opposition to the UN plan and the extra costs of setting up new centres and agencies.
“We don't want to increase our contributions in this way,” said German justice minister Otto Schily. “This is not acceptable, I am very reluctant regarding the proposals of the U.N. High Commissioner.”
The European Commission believes the proposal, while welcome, is “too early” coming before justice ministers agree an EU directive setting minimum standards for the processing of refugees.
Brussels proposals have become “bogged down” in lengthy discussions under Rome’s much criticised EU presidency.
“This is the last call, a last chance after progress was frozen under the Italian EU presidency,” said a source.
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