No firm EU agreement on Austrian plans

INNSBRUCK, Austria — Austria used the first meeting of EU interior ministers under its presidency of the bloc yesterday to advance its tough proposals on the issue, but without reaching firm agreement on its most radical proposals.

After the meeting in the Austrian city of Innsbruck, Austrian Interior Minister Herbert Kickl said there had been “a very wide consensus on the need for protecting the EU’s external borders”, including the strengthening of EU border agency Frontex.

Although the number of migrants fleeing war and poverty has fallen sharply since a 2015 peak, the thorny issue remains a key topic for the six-month presidency of Austria, where a conservative-far right coalition took power last December.

As for the idea of setting up “disembarkation platforms” for migrants, which EU leaders agreed to consider at a crunch summit last month, Kickl said his colleagues agreed that they must be set up in conformity with international law and in a way “which is helpful to relations with third states”.

Such “platforms” would most likely be located in north Africa but several countries in the region, such as Morocco and Tunisia, have already said they will not host them.

Speaking alongside Kickl, German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said he was optimistic an agreement with a third country could nevertheless be reached, pointing to the 2016 migration deal between the EU and Turkey as an example of successful co-operation.

Less support

However, there appeared to be less firm support for Austria’s more hardline suggestions, which include creating “return centres” outside the EU for people refused asylum who cannot be immediately repatriated to their country of origin.

Kickl said only that he and his counterparts had “discussed” the idea and had judged it a “reasonable” possibility.

Earlier EU Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos had voiced scepticism over the practicalities of the idea.

“Does anybody know one country out of Europe, in the periphery of Europe, that is willing to host such a camp? I don’t know so far. Let’s wait, it’s just an idea,” he told reporters.

Luxembourg’s Interior Minister Jean Asselborn was scathing about the idea, telling reporters before the meeting it “shouldn’t be discussed by civilised Europeans”, adding Europe had a “duty” to provide protection to genuine refugees.

There was also little mention after the meeting of a related Austrian proposal to change current EU policy so that it is no longer possible to make asylum requests on European soil, with requests instead to be made in refugee camps to “a sort of mobile commission”.

Earlier, Kickl held talks with his Italian counterpart Matteo Salvini, who is also deputy prime minister and leader of the farright League party, and German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer.

The three have formed a controversial “axis of the willing” to push for tougher migration policies. — AFP