[frontex.antira.info] Am 15. und 16. Januar 2008 findet in Prag ein informelles Treffen der EU-Innenminister statt. Das Programm klingt erstmal relativ unspannend:
The Informal Meeting of Ministers for Justice and Home
Affairs will be divided into two days. The first day will see the
meeting of the Interior Ministers, who will discuss, inter alia, the
use of modern technology for security purposes and safe use of modern
technology. The following day will see the meeting of Justice
Ministers, who will concentrate e.g. on the principle of mutual
recognition in criminal matters and on the future of family law.
Allerdings hat die so genannte Quadro Gruppe (auch: EU4 oder früher mal nicht ganz ernst Club Med)
noch einen weiteren Programmpunkt. Die Quadro Gruppe, das sind Italien,
Zypern, Griechenland und Malta, und sie wollen vor allem über die vermehrte Ankunft von MigrantInnen an ihren Küsten sprechen.
Mittlerweile wurde dazu auch ein Papier verfasst, über das ein weiterer Artikel des Malta Independent
detailliert Auskunft gibt. Wenig überraschend geht es vor allem um zwei
Forderungen: Ein EU-internes Umverteilungsprogramm für Flüchtlinge und
der weitere Ausbau von Frontex.
Malta, Italy, Greece and Cyprus will jointly call on
their European Union counterparts this week for “urgent action” in
implementing the principle of solidarity and fair burden sharing of
asylum applications, and for the intra-EU reallocation of asylum
applications.
Weiter geht es um Rückübernahmeabkommen und Unterstützung für die nationalen Asylsysteme:
The quartet will also call on the EU to step up
readmission negotiations with third countries as well as for additional
resources and support to deal with the consequences of their
over-burdened national asylum systems, according to a draft document
seen by The Malta Independent on Sunday.
Die vier Länder fühlen sich von der EU ignoriert und versuchen
daher, mit einem gemeinsamen Vorgehen ihrer Position mehr Gewicht zu
verschaffen. In der Tat sind die EU-Kernstaaten mit dem Dublin-II
Vertrag in einer sehr komfortablen Position, nämlich dass kaum noch
Flüchtlinge zu ihnen gelangen oder sofort wieder abgeschoben werden
können.
After appeals for solidarity and burden sharing on the
overwhelming issue of irregular migration having fallen on deaf
northern and central European ears for years, the four States will this
week present a common stance on addressing the migratory phenomenon
they have been struggling to grapple with since the deluge, quite
literally, began landing on their shores.
[…]
The four States have formed the so-called Quadro Group, aimed at
ensuring that the momentum gained during the past French EU presidency
in addressing the major southern European issue is maintained across
the current Czech and upcoming Swedish EU presidencies.
Sollte das alles nicht reichen, gibt es da noch den Griff in die
diskursive Trickkiste. Die vier Staaten scheinen den Eindruck zu haben,
dass irreguläre Migration nicht als groß genuges Problem wahrgenommen
wird, und daher muss die unselige Verknüpfung von Migration,
“organisierter Kriminalität” und Terrorismus mal wieder beschworen
werden:
Moreover, the Quadro Group will note, the Mediterranean
is also becoming a transit area for drug and other illicit trafficking
from Africa and Eastern regions. It will also acknowledge that it is
“highly likely” that illicit proceeds from such activities might also
be financing terrorism.
Der Artikel geht dann noch in die Details des EU-internen
Umverteilungsprogramms, welches Änderungen im Dublin-II Vertrag
notwendig machen würde:
Lending their support to recent initiatives to introduce more effective
burden sharing through amendments to the Dublin II regulation, which
provides that the member State where a migrant first enters the EU
bears the sole responsibility for processing that migrant’s application
for asylum, the Group will highlight that any changes to the rules must
“ensure a more equitable allocation of responsibility of asylum
applications”.While the countries will state they prefer a more formalised
approach to intra-EU reallocation over the longer terms, which may also
include asylum seekers, they are to underscore that “at present the
utmost priority is to start implementing intra-EU reallocation under
existing agreements as early as possible”.They will also urge their fellow ministers to “consider reallocating
beneficiaries of international protection from member States facing
specific and disproportionate pressures due to their geographic or
demographic circumstances”.
Um dann zum Fokus dieses Blogs zu kommen: Frontex. Rhetorisch sehr
geschickt wird der Menschenrechtsdiskurs bemüht: Nachdem die
Frontexmissionen fehlgeschlagen sind, werden sie wenigstens zu
humanitären Lebensrettungsmassnahmen umdeklariert:
Moreover, they will also call for burden sharing in
terms of migrants rescued at sea in areas outside their legal
responsibility, as has been the case so many times in the past with
Malta rescuing migrants from within Libyan jurisdiction.“Whereas Cyprus, Greece, Italy and Malta are willing to continue to
overstep their responsibilities when necessary with a view to save
lives at sea, in view of the migratory pressures faced by these same
member States, it is considered that other member States should also
shoulder part of this burden by assuming long-term responsibility for
some of the persons rescued,” the Group will state at the end of the
week. They will add that such solidarity, in particular, could be
expressed within the context rescues it carried during Frontex
operations.
Aber wie stellt sich die Quadro Gruppe nun die Zukunft von Frontex
vor? Die Forderungen sind nicht sonderlich neu: Mehr Geld, mehr
Resourcen, mehr Macht, um Drittstaaten zur Kooperation zu zwingen.
Weiter wird gefordet, “endlich” die Regionalbüros von Frontex zu
eröffnen, was die Kommission ja schon im Frühjahr 2008 gefordert hat.
In terms of often-criticised Frontex operations, the
Group feels that “that the way ahead lies in the strengthening of
Frontex and in the continuation of joint operations” but that “Frontex
will be really effective in the Mediterranean, only if efforts are
intensified vis-à-vis complementary actions such as readmission and
cooperation with key third countries”.Along these lines they will urge the Council to provide Frontex with
the necessary financial resources, and for member states to provide it
with the operational resources.“In particular,” the document will note, “it is important to ensure
that assets committed to Frontex operations are indeed made available
when the need arises. Analogous support should be given to member
States responsible for the assumption of burdens of intercepted people
during joint operations.”They will also lend their support to the setting up of specialised
offices to enable Frontex to better assess the specific situations at
borders of particular sensitivity.Along the same lines, the four countries are to request additional
resources and support for themselves. The document will state, “With
the view to improving the capacity of the front-line member States in
the areas of reception and protection of asylum seekers, Cyprus,
Greece, Italy and Malta should be assisted by the granting of resources
and additional forms of support, in order to address the consequences
of the over-burdened national asylum systems.”The joint document will also place importance on the readmission of
migrants to countries of origin and transit – deeming the area to be an
“urgent necessity” in delivering the message that illegal immigration
is not viable, as well as to provide member States with a practical
instrument for implementing returns.
Es ist dann auch wenig überraschend, dass die Quadro Gruppe die
EU-Kommission als ihre natürliche Verbündete sieht und fordert, ihr
endlich mehr politischen Spielraum in Sachen Verhandlung von
Rückübernahmeabkommen zukommen zu lassen.
Noting that unless success is registered in the area,
the EU’s efforts in the field of legal migration will inevitably be
compromised, the Group will stress that the Commission must be given
the necessary mandate and resources to conclude such agreements and to
open negotiations with other key third countries.In the same vein, the four countries are to seek practical measures
in returning illegal immigrants including the procurement of travel
documents and the organisation of joint return flights.
Um dann am Schluß nochmal die Menschenrechtskarte zu ziehen, auch wenn dies nur “freiwillige” Abschiebungen kaschieren soll.
They will additionally call for the EU to strengthen its
cooperation with the UNHCR to ensure better protection for people
outside EU territory who request it. They will request the Commission
to present proposals for cooperation with third countries to strengthen
the capacity of their protection systems, and to strengthen cooperation
with organisations such as the International Organisation for Migration
through the establishment of new regional offices in the southern and
south-eastern Mediterranean to provide practical assistance through
assisted voluntary return programmes.
Mal sehen, wer sich EU-intern durchsetzen kann. Die Woche bleibt spannend.
Source: http://frontex.antira.info/2009/01/13/eu-innenministertreffen-in-prag/
