Europe shifts its borders in emergency

The European Union is confronting the challenge of exceptionally high migration levels by seeking to correct past inconsistencies in its asylum policy. A key strategy involves establishing asylum processing centers at the EU's external borders, a step that follows years of deliberation.

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Migration, exceptionally high migration, is triggered by incentives. If a German Chancellor says, in effect, that all people from Syria will automatically receive asylum, then that also attracts people from other countries who try their luck on this path. The smugglers understand their business in this regard.

Beyond border processing, the EU is considering a second crucial step: creating return centers abroad. These facilities would house individuals who are not eligible for asylum and cannot be deported. This approach aims to manage migration flows more effectively and address the complexities of returning individuals to their countries of origin, particularly when those countries are unwilling to accept them back.

Precedents for such external processing exist, though they have faced legal hurdles. Similar plans by the UK in Rwanda were previously rejected by high courts. Italy, however, has pursued a similar initiative with Albania, establishing deportation centers there. While the legal standing of these centers is still under scrutiny, recent signals from the European Court of Justice have been cautiously positive. The willingness of the Albanian population to accept such centers also remains a question, as financial incentives alone may not suffice.

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If the Spanish government converts thousands of illegal migrants into legal ones in an act, that is also an incentive – as is a corresponding high court ruling. It is not solely the 'evil' Moroccan government responsible for the influx into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. The problem of illegal migration is also partly self-inflicted in Europe.

Austria, alongside four other European nations, is now advancing plans to establish return centers in Africa. Potential host countries being considered include Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya. Additionally, possibilities in Central Asia, such as Uzbekistan, are being explored. This initiative underscores a growing European consensus on the need for externalizing asylum and return procedures to manage migration pressures. Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner recently met with Danish Migration Minister Morten Bødskov to discuss these possibilities, indicating a coordinated effort among member states to find workable solutions.

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As a first step, after years of back and forth, asylum processing centers at the EU's external borders were decided upon. At least that. Now the whole thing just has to work.