European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has backed plans – drafted by the biggest and most influential group in the European Parliament – which echo the UK’s Rwanda scheme in the bloc.
These reforms would see taking migrants to third countries deemed “safe” to process their asylum applications and the imposition of a quota system for those receiving protection in EU nations.
Manfred Weber, who leads the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), said these policies had been discussed with all the party members of his political group.
Among them is the Christian Democrat Union in Germany – the party of which Ms Von der Leyen is part and which last month threw its weight behind her campaign for a second term as European Commission chief.
The EPP, Mr Weber said, would be “crystal clear” over the next few months of the electoral campaign about its desire to reduce immigration, as parties across the 27 member states are preparing for the June 6-9 European elections.
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These reforms are seen as a way to stave off the rise of far-right parties throughout the continent, with Mr Weber saying these groups want “to destroy Europe from the inside”.
Much as the UK has done with Rwanda, these migration reforms would see the EU striking a series of deals with countries outside the bloc, to send there for asylum processing people who crossed the union’s borders via irregular migration routes.
Asked if Ms Von der Leyen supported these migration plans, Mr Weber said: “All the programmatic positions of the European People’s party are [supported] also by Ursula von der Leyen … We do this as a team together.”
He added: “What European people expect from us – and here the European People’s party will be, in the campaign, crystal clear – you have to lower the numbers of arrivals.
“And we have to separate the visitors who are refugees and asylum seekers who should get the protection they need.”
The group’s manifesto also mentioned these plans, reading: “We want to implement the concept of safe third countries. Anyone applying for asylum in the European Union could also be transferred to a safe third country and undergo the asylum process there.”
Despite Ms Von der Leyen’s support for a Rwanda-scheme-inspired plan in Brussels, the EPP will be challenged by other groups within the bloc for its decision to harden the EU’s migration policy.
The Socialists & Democrats, the second-largest group in the European Parliament, is already expected to oppose these reforms.
