'No guarantee' failed asylum seekers will stay in Europe - Tusk

The EU leaders descending in Brussels this afternoon are expected to discuss a new system of quarantining migrants in frontline member states – including the registration, fingerprinting, expulsion and, in cases of illegal immigrants, detention for up to 18 months.

The European Council has decided to establish  “structured border zones and facilities in the frontline member states [Italy, Greece, Malta], with the active support of member states’ experts to ensure the swift identification, registration and fingerprinting of migrants.”

According to The Guardian, the proposal “is likely to give EU police and border control agencies beefed up powers to use coercion in dealing with the influx in an attempt to increase the numbers of those sent back whence they came”.

President of the European Council Donald Tusk spelt out the Council’s plans: “I expect the European Council to send a strong message to all those who are not legitimate asylum seekers that they will have no guarantee they will stay in Europe.”

In brief comments to reporters ahead of the leaders’ meeting, Tusk said this should be their priority in containing “illegal immigration”.

According to the European Commission’s proposals, Frontex – the EU’s border agency – should be granted new powers to initiate and carry out forced deportations, something which has always been decided and done by each individual state.

Tusk insisted that only by “sending a strong message to irregular migration can we really make progress on relocation from Italy and Greece”.

“Today we have no consensus among member states on mandatory quotas. We have a voluntary scheme that cannot be used as an excuse to do nothing. I can understand those who want schemes to be voluntary but they will only be credible if they give precise and significant pledges by the end of July at the lates.

 “Solidarity results in sacrifice. It is pure hypocrisy … we don’t need any more empty declaration but dates and numbers.”