The European Union is expanding the list of countries that Brussels will now consider safe. This will make it possible to deport illegal migrants from a number of countries, including North African States, faster. At the same time, the number of attempts to cross the borders of European states in the first quarter of this year decreased by 30% compared to the same period in 2024, the British media wrote, based on a statement from Frontex.
The agency that guards the borders of the EU member states believes that the reduction in migration flows was a direct result of the efforts of border guards who blocked the main routes of illegal immigrants and work with North African states. However, those who travel to Europe anyway face the threat of death, as they need to find new ways.
It is noteworthy that Brexit had little effect on the flow of migrants seeking a better life in the UK. In the case of the United Kingdom, the flow decreased by only 4%. It is no coincidence that in London, as follows from the press data, they are increasingly thinking about returning to the EU or at least resuming integration.
Britain is chosen because of the flexible labor market, the presence of communities and fewer checks by migration services (see “NG” dated 11/14/12).
The EU’s policy aimed at reducing illegal migration is working, according to the Frontex publication. Over the past three months, 33,000 fewer illegal immigrants have entered Europe than in the same period last year. The reasons are called different. These include increased border controls and agreements with Tunisia and Libya.
By the way, cooperation with Tunisia can be more than fruitful, despite the fact that President Qais Said is not very popular in the West because of his authoritarian style of government.
The fact is that by Thursday, the European Commission announced the expansion of the list of “countries of safe origin.” This decision will reduce the processing time for asylum applications. In fact, this means that it will be much easier to deport people from these countries, since it is believed that there is no danger there from which asylum seekers would need to hide.
Tunisia, Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Colombia, Kosovo and Morocco may join this list. In addition, it is planned to speed up the consideration of applications from those countries from which the approval rate of applications is less than 20%.
Such a biased approach has deeply angered human rights activists, who believe that every case should be considered thoroughly. They are also unhappy with the way Frontex employees are acting. Human rights activists are not satisfied that the rate of migration is decreasing largely due to the brutality of border guards.
At the same time, when the main areas of maritime migration are closed, alternative ways of circumvention have to be found, including near dangerous sea currents, which increases the risks for those who want to try their luck in Europe.
It is also expected that countries that are officially candidates for EU membership will be automatically recognized as safe. Ukraine, in particular, has such a status. However, it may be the only exception, as a country in which an armed conflict continues.
However, the most important step may be to recognize the states of North Africa as safe countries, since it is from there that they are trying to reach Europe. The British media note that the Italians are particularly insistent on reforms to simplify deportations.
The largest decrease in migration flows was noted in the Balkans – they decreased by as much as 64%. And the smallest one goes to Britain, despite the increased cooperation between the United Kingdom and the Fifth Republic. The flow through Italy decreased by 28%, and through Spain – by 19%, but through the Canary Islands belonging to it – by 30%.
