Swiss Justice Minister calls EU migration deal a ‘historic step’
Swiss Justice Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider says the new EU deal on migration is a "historic step".
Keystone / Adriel Perdomo
Swiss Justice Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider says the new EU migration deal is a “historic step that was urgently needed". She took part in the meeting in Luxembourg on Thursday, where EU home affairs ministers reached an agreement on reforms of the bloc's asylum and migration system.
This content was published on
3 minutes
Keystone-SDA/sp
Italiano
it
Il ministro della Giustizia svizzero definisce l’accordo sull’immigrazione dell’UE un “passo storico”.
Switzerland is not an EU member but has been part of Europe’s Schengen zone since 2008. The reforms will therefore affect the Alpine nation and “for the first time, the solidarity mechanism will be enshrined in the legal texts”, said the Swiss Federal Department of Justice and Police (FDJP) in a statementExternal link on Thursday.
After seven years of deadlock and 12 hours of negotiations, EU ministers sealed a migration deal that will allow a solidarity mechanism to share the responsibility to look after migrants and refugees, and quicker processing of some asylum seekers’ applications.
Elisabeth Baume-Schneider said the “deal was urgently necessary”. The minister added that this compromise creates more confidence and that the “Dublin system would not have resisted long with the current situation”.
These reforms will also have an effect on Switzerland, an associate state of the so-called Dublin Regulation, which will be replaced by a regulation on the management of asylum and migration, the Swiss justice ministry said.External link
The new solidarity mechanism will relieve the states at the external borders of the Schengen areas. According to the new reforms, other states will have to support the countries at the borders: this could be done financially, by providing personnel or by taking up some asylum requests.
“This is a strengthening of the Dublin system and Switzerland will participate accordingly,” said the Swiss justice minister. Switzerland is not obliged to participate in the solidarity mechanism but has done so in the past.
Switzerland will therefore not be obliged to incorporate these principles into its national law, but “it supports the idea of accelerated procedures, of which it has itself had experience”, said Baume-Schneider. She also stressed the need to ensure “respect for the rule of law, human rights and procedural guarantees in all cases”.
The new deal on migration rules aims at introducing a collective management of the reception and relocation of asylum seekers in Europe. Sweden’s Migration Minister, Malmer Stenergard, confirmed countries will have to pay a one-off fee for each rejected applicant, provisionally set at €20,000 and the number of relocations per year will be 30,000 asylum seekers.
EU ministers have also agreed on accelerating the processing of asylum requests at the border facilities and allowing member states to send migrants whose asylum application has been denied to third countries deemed safe.
The compromise was not supported by Hungary, Poland, Malta, Bulgaria and Slovakia. It will now have to be approved by the EU Parliament.
One person consumes 4.8 megawatt hours of electricity
This content was published on
On average, the Swiss consume 4.8 megawatt hours of electricity per year. According to Velobiz.de, this is roughly equivalent to the amount generated by all 176 cyclists in the Tour de France during the entire race.
Outgoing ICRC chief in Ukraine defends neutrality amid war
This content was published on
Swiss national Jürg Eglin, outgoing head of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Ukraine, reflects on his tenure.
Green party leader criticises government’s neo-liberal policy
This content was published on
The Green Party delegates' meeting opened on Saturday morning in Vicques (JU) with a speech by party president Lisa Mazzone. Mazzone took particular aim at the Federal Council's policy towards the United States.
Working on Sundays is detrimental to well-being, says Swiss study
This content was published on
A study by the University of Bern shows that working on Sundays is detrimental to well-being and particularly affects women.
Safra Sarasin private bank and former asset manager sentenced
This content was published on
The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland has fined private bank J. Safra Sarasin CHF3.5 million for aggravated money laundering. A former bank employee received a six-month suspended prison sentence.
JPMorgan to pay CHF270 million to settle 1MDB claims
This content was published on
JPMorgan Chase has agreed to pay CHF270 million to the Malaysian government to settle all issues related to its role in the 1MDB financial scandal.
Famine confirmed in Gaza for first time, says UN-backed report
This content was published on
Famine has been declared in a northern part of the Gaza Strip, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) system.
Zurich Airport ground handling staff to strike on Friday
This content was published on
Ground handling staff at Zurich Airport have announced a strike for Friday afternoon. According to a union, 200 jobs are at risk.
This content was published on
Philippe Lazzarini will step down as head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) at the end of his term in March, he announced on Thursday.
Illegal immigration into Switzerland almost tripled in 2022
This content was published on
More than 52,000 cases of illegal migration were recorded from January to December, about 33,000 more than the previous year.
This content was published on
Besides geography, politics and the solidarity of the population play a decisive role in determining which countries people flee to.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.