McEntee insists EU migration pact will be a ‘game-changer’ here

The new EU migration pact will make a real difference and mean Ireland will not be alone when dealing with the issue, Justice Minister Helen McEntee has said.

The European Parliament approved the new policy yesterday. It will result in greater member-state collaboration and faster approval times on migrant applications.

“I think this is a real game-changer because it means that as a country, firstly, we’re not dealing with this on our own,” Ms McEntee told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland.

“We do have a structure in place at the moment, but there are elements of that which don’t work.

“As people come to Europe to seek solace, to seek protection – but also those who are economic migrants – we need to have a system that’s connected, collaborative and deals with the large numbers.”

Part of the new policy will result in a greater sharing of information between EU states on those who arrive at their borders seeking asylum.

“What we’ll have is greater gathering of information for anybody who comes to the first country they land in,” Ms McEntee said.

“We’ll have a clearer picture of who’s coming, but also if there are risks, if there are people coming who pose a risk as well – and we’re talking about a small fraction – but overall we will have a greater and enhanced system.”

The EU pact will mean those countries who sign up will commit to faster processing times, with some applicants receiving a decision within two months.

“For people who cross our borders but don’t have documents, where they get rid of documents, where they might pose a risk or where they are from a country where the acceptance rate is less than 20pc, they will be processed – their applications, their appeals, everything – in two months,” Ms McEntee said.

She added that half of those who come to Ireland to seek protection have already been given protection in another country.

The minister said signing up to the pact will make it easier for Ireland to have those individuals returned to the first country they were given protection in.

“If we don’t opt into this, our ability to say ‘You must return to the country that you’ve been given protection’, that doesn’t exist,” she said.

“We can’t expect other member states to take back people to their country if we say we’re not going to join, we’re not going to show solidarity, we’re going to go it alone, we’re going to do it on our own. So it’s really important.”

As Ireland continues to struggle to find enough accommodation for asylum-seekers, Ms McEntee said the new pact will make funding available to accommodate those arriving at Ireland’s borders.

“We’re going to be given financial assistance, so if we don’t opt into this, we don’t have access to the billions of euro that will be made available to help us improve our systems,” she said.

Last November, the UK Supreme Court ruled that prime minister Rishi Sunak’s controversial Rwanda bill, which would result in asylum-seekers in the UK being deported to the African country, was unlawful.

Ms McEntee said there was no plan for a similar policy to be implemented as part of the pact, and it was not something she would sign up for, adding: “That’s not a proposal I would support.”

The new pact will see the introduction of fingerprinting children over the age of six, which Ms McEntee said would ensure they are not being used for human trafficking.