“On the face of it, the agreement on return centres in third countries may look like the fulfilment of a long-standing demand. In reality, the draft Returns Regulation leaves these centres purely optional, explicitly excludes minors and their families, and the proposed monitoring mechanism is, as expected, likely to become a plaything for political instrumentalisation by left-wing NGOs. What is more, there is still no sign whatsoever of processing centres outside Europe.
The EU list of safe countries of origin also reveals glaring gaps and ignores shifting geopolitical realities, meaning that exporter states of asylum seekers and crime such as Syria or Afghanistan remain completely untouched by the proposed fast-track procedures. The agreement on the so-called solidarity pool is likewise to be rejected: in truth it is nothing more than the forced redistribution of illegal immigrants and a blatant undermining of national sovereignty.
A genuine change of course in migration policy is nowhere in sight. Instead, the increasingly unsettled public is being placated with tough-sounding headlines for the media – political showmanship at the expense of ordinary citizens.”
