Overhaul of Europe’s Asylum System Includes Faster Deportation Process

Earlier this month, a blaze destroyed the squalid Moria refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos, where over 12,000 people lived in facilities built for 3,000.

Read also: Four Migrants Charged with Arson for Lesbos Fire Involvement

Von der Leyen said the EU has agreed to set up a joint pilot project with Greek authorities to manage an immigrant reception center on Lesbos.

Outsourcing will remain a key pillar of EU migration policy, with the bloc building partnerships with African and Mideast countries to help stop people from leaving. Those countries that do not take back their citizens could find it more difficult to secure European visas.

The migration proposals are sure to spark heated debate among EU countries but the commission is urging them, and the bloc’s parliament, to adopt the reforms by year's end.

“This is a first step today in the right direction. We will see how the different member states react,” Greek government spokesman Stelios Petsas told state-run ERT television.

“There is no room for countries seeking to opt-out. It is a major European issue and not just a problem for host countries.”

German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer called the commission proposal a “good basis” to work on and said it would be discussed by EU interior ministers on October 8. 

(Writer: Lorne Cook) 

Source: https://apnews.com/d706dc81028cf06fe51a92eeb03cfe58