Beijing, 7 Oct (Xinhua) -- The European Union held an informal meeting of leaders in the southern Spanish city of Granada on 6 October to issue the Granada Declaration on the strategic agenda for the next five years. But on the most hotly debated issue of illegal immigration, the meeting failed to produce results, and the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, could only issue a separate statement on the subject in his personal capacity.
The enlargement of the EU membership is fraught with differences among EU member states and even within the EU leadership around another issue of concern.
Spanish Acting Prime Minister Alexis Sanchez (back left), European Council President Michel (back center), and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (back right) attend a press conference after the informal meeting of EU leaders in the southern Spanish city of Granada on October 6. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Lian Yi
The opposition of the two countries broke up unhappily
Reuters reported that about 250,000 illegal immigrants have arrived in EU countries so far this year. Data released by Eurostat on the 6th showed that in the second quarter of this year, EU countries forcibly repatriated 26,600 illegal immigrants, an increase of 29% over the same period last year, mainly from France and Germany.
The EU intends to amend the European Convention on Migration and Asylum for Refugees with a view to reducing the pressure on so-called "frontline countries" where illegal immigrants such as Italy and Greece have landed, and to distribute some of these illegal immigrants to other member states. If the latter are not willing to accept illegal immigrants, they have to pay per head and be used by the EU for the unified resettlement of illegal immigrants.
The leaders of Poland and Hungary expressed strong dissatisfaction with the reform of the EU immigration system. The Granada Declaration therefore made no mention of illegal immigration and the meeting "ended unhappily".
Polish Prime Minister Mataiusz Morawiecki said that he had "vetoed" immigration in the Granada Declaration, that "Poland has the opportunity to stop" the reform process, and that "Poland does not agree to let others decorate our houses." Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban Victor said the EU was trying to "legally rape" Hungary by bullying more and forcibly pushing for immigration reform.
On 17 April, rescued illegal immigrants arrived in the southern Maltese port of Marsashlok. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Jonathan Borg)
French President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged that the text of the draft Granada declaration "sparked divisions among several member states," but argued that it would not affect EU immigration reform, a matter that should move forward in accordance with the principle of minority obeying majority.
As of this week, 22 of the EU's 27 member states had agreed to push for reform of the inefficient current immigration system. Poland and Hungary advocated veto power on the issue.
Reuters analysis that according to the rules of procedure of the European Union, Poland and Hungary cannot prevent the revision of the European Convention on Migration and Refugee Asylum, and the opposition voices of the two countries at the meeting on the 6th are more symbolic.
For many years, there have been differences within the EU on the issue of illegal immigration, and the dispute at the meeting on the 6th showed that the EU is far from reaching an agreement.
European Council President Michel speaks at a press conference following an informal meeting of EU leaders in the southern Spanish city of Granada on October 6. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Lian Yi
One proposed to cause a commotion
Equally far from conclusive and still subject to debate is the enlargement of the European Union.
After Russia launched a special military operation against Ukraine in February last year, the expansion of the European Union has once again become a hot topic. The Granada Declaration stressed that EU enlargement is "an investment in peace, security, stability and prosperity". However, both countries wishing to join the EU and the EU itself will need to make big changes to prepare for an enlarged EU; In particular, the former should strengthen reform efforts in the area of the rule of law.
European Council President Michel proposed that the EU should be prepared to enlarge by 2030 at the latest, a target that would motivate the EU and candidate countries to accelerate the pace of reform. "The important thing is to stop delaying," he told media reporters after the meeting on the 6th.
EU flags fly outside EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on May 21, 2021. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zheng Huansong
However, according to Reuters, other EU leaders have a lukewarm attitude towards this, believing that the focus should be on whether the candidate country meets EU standards. AFP bluntly said that Michel's proposal "caused a commotion" and upset European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The European Commission is responsible for assessing whether candidate countries meet the criteria.
Von der Leyen and several senior EU officials responded immediately, stressing that the accession process must meet the conditions at all stages. Von der Leyen said the accession process was "merit-based" and "with clear rules."
Josep Borrell, vice president of the European Commission and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said the year 2030 mentioned by Michel is only a reference time for EU enlargement, not an accurate time.
Michel himself admitted: "Some EU leaders agree that this time should be set, others oppose it." ”
This is a euro banknote and coin taken on December 30, 2021 in Brussels, Belgium. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zheng Huansong
At this stage, there are eight candidate members of the EU, namely Turkey, Serbia, Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Moldova, Ukraine and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
For EU member states, enlargement involves real money. According to an internal EU report, according to the EU's current agricultural subsidies, regional development and other spending policies, if the EU expands to 35 countries, the EU budget will increase by 21% and increase by 256.8 billion euros in 7 years. This means that open source is needed, and some of the original beneficiaries of EU financial subsidies will become contributors, while new acceding countries will become net beneficiaries.
An official report released jointly by Germany and France three weeks ago said the EU must reform its governance by 2030 to avoid paralysis. "Enlargement is high on the EU's agenda for geopolitical reasons, but the EU is not ready to welcome new members, both economically and politically," the report said. (Hu Ruoyu)