Vienna to host 'coordination platform' against illegal immigration
Homa Lezgee
Press TV, Vienna
EU member states and Western Balkan countries have agreed to form a coordination platform in Vienna to tackle illegal immigration. After a two-day conference in Austria, politicians said they are focusing on protecting the borders and returning those not entitled to stay as quickly as possible.
Vienna agrees to host a so-called “coordination platform” for EU and Western Balkan states to combat illegal immigration.
The announcement comes after a two-day conference during which Western Balkan states, who attended via video call, were asked to improve their asylum capacities.
Officials say a major part of the agreement is ensuring a sound return policy.
But sending people back has been impossible for months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The German interior minister, also representing the EU council presidency said there had been a clear increase in the number of migrants and refugees moving towards Europe via the Western Balkan and eastern Mediterranean routes.
The Austrian idea to create a coordination platform was lauded as timely and necessary to align priorities but Europe has been facing a lot of criticism for failing to come up with a common asylum policy the last time it tried in 2016.
At the height of the crisis in 2015 to 16 Austria took in more than one percent of its population in asylum seekers, causing radical right-wing politicians to raise the alarm and win votes. That scenario, critics say can only be avoided if the burden is distributed evenly through an agreement that’s still far from realization.
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