PACT PREP
Ireland ‘best practice’ before new immigration rule changes but ‘difficult situation’ with UK, says EU chief at Citywest
The number of people seeking asylum in Ireland fell from 18,500 to 13,000 in the past year
IRELAND is best in class in the EU when it comes to preparing for the Migration Pact which will significantly reduce the number of people coming here to seek international protection, Europe’s immigration chief has claimed.
European Commissioner for Migration Magnus Brunner today visited the Citywest accommodation centre in Dublin ahead of the full implementation of the Migration Pact next year.
Ireland opted into the controversial Migration Pact last year which will see all European countries working together on set immigration rules and processing for the first time.
Opposition parties have pushed back against the Pact with Sinn Fein’s Matt Carthy claiming the deal does not take into account Ireland’s common travel area with the UK with more than 80 per cent of asylum seekers accessing Ireland by crossing the border in the North.
Commission Brunner toured the Citywest accommodation centre with Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan and claimed that Ireland is “best practice” when it comes to preparing for the big immigration rule changes next year.
He said: “Ireland is very well prepared and doing a very good job in implementing the planning.
“It is a front runner and best practice for member states.”
He added: “Ireland’s whole system and the way it is organised is very professional and very human as well – it is a very good mixture and is a very good example for the rest of Europe.”
The Commissioner said he was aware of the “difficult situation” with Ireland and the UK but he said Europe will work with the government in the UK on immigration.
Questioned on whether the implementation of the Pact would reduce the number of asylum seekers arriving in Ireland, the Commissioner said: “We will have new rules such as screening of illegal arrivals and having a procedure at external borders.
“So the answer is a clear yes, there will be less people coming on an illegal basis and that is exactly what we want to address with this new legislation.
“Registration in an EU database is another good example and mandatory border procedures at the external borders – so there are a lot of different topics within the Pact and once it is implemented yes the numbers should definitely go down.”
CHANGES PROPOSED
Asked where asylum seekers will go if not Europe, the Commissioner told the Irish Sun: “We also have to engage with third countries – that is what we do already safe third countries, safe countries of origin.
“We are working on that but getting engagement and putting migration on the table when it comes to agreements with third countries.
“I call this migration diplomacy which we desperately need.”
Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan will this week bring forward a series of proposals to try to make it harder for people to become Irish citizens.
Under the proposals to go to Cabinet, people in receipt of certain social welfare benefits will have these payments taken into account when applying for citizenship.
People granted refugee status will also have to wait five years instead of three when seeking full citizenship and rules around family reunification will be made stricter.
Minister O’Callaghan is bringing the proposals at a time when the UK is moving ahead of a series of changes to their migration policies to curb the number of people seeking international protection there.
Minister O’Callaghan said 18,500 people sought asylum in Ireland last year which has fallen to around 13,000 this year.
He said there is “cooperation and collaboration ongoing” with the UK on immigration and said he will consider any further changes that are necessary as the situation across the water changes.
