The EU’s reformed asylum system, in effect since June 12 with checks at external borders, faster procedures and new return rules, has produced positive results, with illegal migration down 40%, EU Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner said at the Alpbach European Forum.
Speaking at the forum’s opening on Sunday evening, as an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent reported, Brunner said the figures show clear progress: illegal migration to the EU has fallen by more than 55% over the past two years, including another 40% this year. He noted that Sweden recorded its lowest number of asylum applications in 40 years, Denmark hit a historic low, and the Mediterranean route has been shrinking for three consecutive years.
Brunner said that in the first six months of this year, roughly as many people arrived at all of the EU’s external borders combined as arrived on the Greek islands in a single week in October 2015.
By any measure, he said, Europe has not had this level of control over illegal migration in a decade.
However, he acknowledged that the recent situation in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in Africa showed how quickly public opinion can shift in the face of dramatic events, noting that dramatic images tend to outweigh even the best statistics. He announced that the European Commission will propose a strengthened mandate for the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) this fall.
At the same time, Brunner said EU enlargement remains a priority because it represents an investment in peace and security, describing it as one of the most important geopolitical decisions facing Europe today and a strategic investment in peace, stability and security on the continent.
Brunner stressed that migration policy should not become a short-term tool for boosting poll ratings. He said an effective regional policy can help minimize negative effects, since migration directly affects communities that provide housing, border regions where checks are carried out daily, and municipalities responsible for integration. He said Europe only succeeds when it reaches the places where people actually live — the regions — adding that Europe wins only when its regions are strong.
As a positive example, he cited the Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino Euroregion, which brings together about 1.87 million residents of Austria and Italy and shows it is possible to think beyond one’s own borders and languages.
Asked about this year’s central question at the Alpbach forum — how Europe can win — Brunner pointed to strong regions and Europe’s own model built on reliability, democracy and predictability.
He also called for a substantial increase in funding for cross-border infrastructure in the EU’s next seven-year budget, citing the acute crisis and Italy’s lawsuit against Austria over the latter’s restrictions on transport through the Brenner Pass. Brunner said the long-term solution cannot be more conflict and litigation, but rather greater cooperation and investment — in this specific case, building a tunnel. He added that the European Commission has proposed doubling funding for European transport infrastructure to EUR 51.5 billion, and that regions should have a say in shaping that budget.
