EU home affairs ministers to discuss voluntary returns and migration partnerships

The EU home affairs ministers will gather in Brussels on 5 March for a meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council. The agenda includes the state of the Schengen area and partnerships with third countries concerning migration. Finland will be represented at the meeting by Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen, who will underline the importance of preventing illegal entry and stay.

It is important to Finland that each Member State fulfils its migration obligations and ensures the security of its external borders in normal conditions. Finland is an external border country as well as a transit and destination country for migration.

“It is unacceptable that a person already granted international protection in one Member State can go to a different Member State and apply for asylum again. The Pact on Migration and Asylum, which will be applied starting in June, will provide tools to address this situation. The Returns Regulation will supplement the pact, for example, by allowing the establishment of return hubs outside the EU. Its rapid entry into force is a priority,” says Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen.

Return hubs are an important future tool

In connection with their discussion of Schengen issues, the ministers will also look at improving the effectiveness of returns.

“Continued efforts must be put into making returns of persons staying illegally in the EU more effective. The credibility of the system and the security of the Schengen area are at stake. The Returns Regulation must allow the establishment of return hubs outside the EU. The Pact on Migration and Asylum provides a legal framework for carrying out the entire asylum process in third countries, which is a necessary tool,” Minister Rantanen says.

It is essential that cooperation concerning returns is made an even more integral part of EU partnerships with third countries. Third countries must have the capacity to readmit their own citizens. The secondary movement of asylum seekers in Schengen countries must also be stopped, and illegal entry into the area prevented. This will require effective measures by the EU in countries of origin. Cooperation will be made more effective in the EU through measures relating to, for example, visa, trade and development policy. 

Meeting to also discuss impact of situation in the Middle East

The home affairs ministers will also discuss the impact of the current geopolitical environment on the EU’s internal security. The situation in the Middle East will be a particular subject of discussion.

Inquiries:
Minna Hulkkonen, Director General, tel. +358 295 488 600, [email protected]