EU Offers Nations Flexible Options For Sharing Burden Of Migrant Relocation, Return

EU Offers Nations Flexible Options for Sharing Burden of Migrant Relocation, Return

The European Union's new pact on migration and asylum offers member states to either relocate migrants from countries under pressure or fund the return of those who have no right to stay in the bloc, the European Commission said on Wednesday

BRUSSELS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd September, 2020) The European Union's new pact on migration and asylum offers member states to either relocate migrants from countries under pressure or fund the return of those who have no right to stay in the bloc, the European Commission said on Wednesday.

The long-awaited pact was unveiled by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen earlier in the day. The speech was initially scheduled for September 30, but the recent blaze that destroyed the largest camp on the Greek island of Lesbos, which hosted nearly 13,000 migrants, added urgency to the policy announcement.

"EU countries will be bound to act in solidarity with one another. Each country must contribute in times of stress, to help stabilise overall system, support Member States under pressure & ensure we fulfill humanitarian obligations," the commission said.

Member states are offered "flexible options" for their contribution. They, in particular, can choose to relocate recently-arrived persons, take responsibility for expelling a person with no right to stay on behalf of another EU country, or provide some operational or longer-term assistance in responding to the challenge.