Europe votes on ‘dehumanizing’ migration policy

The European Parliament was set to vote on extensive new legislation to revamp its migration policy on Wednesday, amid criticism that it is aligning with the far right’s agenda rather than protecting vulnerable individuals.

Despite receiving support from some politicians, the set of laws remains divisive, as critics argue that instead of neutralizing the far-right influence, the legislation essentially legitimizes its viewpoints and fails to address the escalating death toll on migration routes to the European Union.

Ylva Johansson, the home affairs commissioner who spearheaded the legislation, said on Tuesday the reforms would lead the 27-member bloc closer to countering the influence of the populist far right, The Guardian reported.

“We have already taken away a lot of the arguments from the far right by reaching this agreement. I hope we will get the vote because it has been a long journey, a marathon,” she told reporters in Brussels.

“It will really be a big, big moment for Europe, showing that we can deal with very challenging political issues in an environment that is challenging.”

However, following eight years of political deadlock over the regulations, there is a real possibility that lawmakers may vote against the agreement, the Politico reported.

Malin Bjork, a member of Parliament for the Swedish Left Party, said: “This is an adaptation of what the far right have been asking for, for years. Can we come up with something even more dehumanizing? This is taking some of the worst of practices in the EU and institutionalizing it.”

‘Not solving problems’

Bjork, who was responsible for drafting the package’s laws on resettlement, said the legislation “does not solve any of the problems it was supposed to”.

The comprehensive set of laws, initially proposed in 2018, aims to streamline the asylum process by expediting eligibility assessments and forced returns within a time frame of about 12 weeks.

The legislation will also introduce a centralized screening system at all EU external borders and a “solidarity” mechanism, requested by Greece and Italy, to enable overwhelmed countries to transfer their asylum procedures to another member state.

The Guardian reported that representatives from 161 civil society organizations urged lawmakers to reject the legislation, saying it had been flawed from the start.

Stephanie Pope, a migration expert at nonprofit Oxfam International, criticized the package, highlighting its focus on “deterrents, detention and deportation” instead of protecting the human rights of vulnerable individuals. She described the legislation as “very political and zero evidence-based”.