European Commission and refugee quotas
December 13th, 2019A liberal commentator thinks that the new European Commission will hardly be able to enforce mandatory refugee quotas, although its key members are in favour. Such a scheme, however, is unacceptable for several countries including Hungary, she remarks.
On Index, Ágnes Szűcs predicts that the dispute over refugee quotas will continue under the new EU Commission. The liberal commentator recalls that German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer has proposed strict external border controls and assessment of asylum requests at Schengen border transition zones. But even under this proposal, which was intended as a compromise, those asylum seekers who are granted preliminary refugee status would be distributed among those EU member states which process their asylum requests, Szűcs explains. She adds that the proposal makes it mandatory for EU member states to take in a specific number of refugees. This proposal has already been rejected by the Hungarian government, she notes. Unless EU member states find a consensus, it is unlikely that the EU will be able to reach agreement on reforming its migration and asylum policies, Szűcs concludes.