The Migration Ticking Clock
Migration has made another appearance in the March EUCO conclusions after a much-awaited come-back to the EUCO summit in February. A series of recent events has made the return of this item to the agenda virtually inevitable. With the debate on search and rescue at sea revamping, the number of victims hitting another record high, and the end of the legislature looming, the migration clock keeps ticking and responding to the demands for European solutions cannot be eluded.
As a reminder with respect to the February conclusions, this time the EUCO leaders mention migration in the “any other business” section of the documents, after tackling topics as diverse as competitiveness, the state of the economy, and arms procurement. Taking the opportunity to reinstate the importance of concluding the Pact’s negotiations successfully and according to the common roadmap, the EU leaders refer to the much-used description of migration as a “European challenge requiring a European response”. While it would be hard to disagree with this statement, the heart of the matter is what exactly the challenge is about and what the response to it should be. This is also where all too often political or electoral interests collide with human rights commitments and long-term strategic priorities.
The rest of this article can be found on the TEPSA website.
(Photo credit: EU Council, Wikimedia Commons)