EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, speaking at the European People’s Party (EPP) Congress in Valencia, expressed frustration that only 20% of migrants ordered to leave the EU are actually deported.
Brussels now says it is stepping up efforts to increase deportations of migrants who do not have the right to stay in Europe, reports Germany’s Welt.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen highlighted an alarming statistic during the EPP congress in Valencia: only a fifth of those ordered to leave the Union actually travel back.
She noted that the low deportation rate damages confidence in the EU’s migration policy, but could not say why.
– We cannot explain to our citizens why only one-fifth of the people who have no right to stay in Europe actually leave, von der Leyen pointed out.
She warns that the lack of results is fueling anti-immigration sentiment across the continent and that the Union must act decisively to restore citizens’ trust in the EU project.
Significant increase in migrants
Migration to Europe increased significantly in 2023 with more than one million asylum seekers, according to Frontex, the EU’s border and coast guard agency. Member states are struggling to manage the influx, but the deportation process is complicated by several factors.
For example, many migrants destroy their identity documents to avoid identification, making it difficult to determine their origin.
Some countries also refuse to accept their nationals, while others lack diplomatic relations or administrative capacity to manage return migration. The EU is negotiating readmission agreements with third countries, but the process is moving extremely slowly.
Von der Leyen calls for increased cooperation with countries of origin to untie the knots.
– We must show that we can protect our borders and respect the rule of law at the same time, she adds.
She declares that illegal border crossings into the EU will be reduced by 30% by 2025, mainly thanks to cooperation with neighboring countries.
The issue is divisive
Countries such as Poland and Hungary oppose the EU’s attempt to introduce uniform asylum rules. Meanwhile, frontline countries such as Italy and Greece have expressed that they feel abandoned by more northern member states in the face of migration.
The political charge surrounding migration has long hampered cooperation within the EU. National-conservative parties in Parliament are pushing for tougher border policies and large-scale deportations, while left-liberal parties are putting the brakes on such developments.
Ursula Von der Leyen stresses that progress needs to be made quickly, such as faster judicial processes for asylum applications and more effective border controls. However, she acknowledges that the solutions are not simple and says member states need to take more responsibility for implementing common decisions.
– Without concrete progress, the EU risks losing further credibility in the eyes of its citizens, she warns.
