BY
Claudia Meier
Julian Lehmann

For the past five years, European Union leaders have tried but failed to reform the block’s rules on asylum. The main bone of contention was the Dublin Regulation, in particular the rule of first entry, which specifies that the first EU member state that an asylum seeker enters is responsible for hosting them and processing their asylum claim. Because of fundamental disagreements on how to reform ​“Dublin”, all other reform proposals have gathered dust on shelves in Brussels. Meanwhile, thousands of asylum seekers still languish in dangerous camps at Europe’s borders.

On Wednesday, the EU Commission finally unveiled the Union’s new reform ideas. On responsibility for asylum applications, they aim to replace the rules of the Dublin Regulation by – drumroll – the rules of the Dublin Regulation. In other words, the basic rules will continue to apply, with some tweaks like member state cooperation in the event of numerous asylum seekers arriving at one member’s borders at the same time. Fundamentally, the proposal cements the sad truth that the EU’s asylum policy has become a sinister race to the bottom on who manages to host the least asylum seekers. Even this lackluster proposal on distributing responsibility was met with immediate and fierce opposition in some member states – including by Austria’s Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, who declared it dead on arrival.

But the EU has few alternatives to reform. In 2015 and 2016, when the numbers of asylum applications spiked, illiberal political parties all over Europe were swift to exploit them for political gain. And they will do so again if member states fail to break the deadlock and sensibly reform the Dublin Regulation. Indeed, the current system leads to frustration everywhere: the EU’s border states like Greece will repeat their mantra of being left overburdened, while others like France or Poland will complain that most asylum seekers who end up further north should have been accommodated in the countries of their first arrival.

Given this protracted situation, the upcoming negotiations on the proposed new laws will have to address two questions: What is the bare minimum that would make a reform better than no reform? And how can the champions of this bare minimum mobilize a majority for it? We think that, above all, a new governance would have to stand the test of being a more solidary system. But reaching – and salvaging – such a compromise will require radical political action.

Call the bluff with a different resettlement option. The EU Commission proposes that states who are unwilling to host asylum seekers as part of a relocation effort ​“in times of crisis” can instead contribute to collective effort by organizing returns of asylum seekers whose claims have been rejected (“return sponsorships”). This idea could prove a slippery slope into a situation where virtually every member state wiggles out of a commitment to admit asylum seekers – a recipe for more disasters and human rights violations like the ones the world is currently witnessing in Moria, Greece. To prevent this, the EU should cap the total number of such ​“return sponsorships” to 10 percent of all asylum seekers who are being relocated in the EU. Member states that still refuse to accommodate asylum seekers could be offered the alternative to accept the equivalent of their share of recognized refugees from outside the EU. Refugees are recognized as such by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, so that this compromise would call the bluff on the argument that redistribution creates a ​“pull factor”, as well as popular claims that only the most resourceful people manage to reach the EU.

Push through a low threshold for mutual support. The pact is vague on the criteria that would trigger any new mechanism in support of an overburdened EU state. For instance, it does not define the kind of ​“crisis” that would oblige member states to support each other. To address this flaw, the EU should set a threshold for each member state, depending on its economic power. This would send a signal of serious intentions to the states at the EU’s external borders. In addition, any mechanism for mutual support would have to kick in automatically. Anything else would be an invitation for anti-EU governments to blame the European Union once the numbers of asylum seekers go up.

Up the stakes for spoilers. The single most important leverage the EU has over its member states is its budget. EU leaders have just adopted a new budget for the next seven years, following a 90 hour-long summit. The ball is now in the European Parliament’s court – MEPs have yet to accept the carefully hatched proposal. One of the main points of contention is budget conditionality: many parliamentarians want the EU to be able to withhold funds when a member state does not comply with the principles of democratic rule of law. The EU parliament should explicitly include systematic violations of the rights of foreigners under EU jurisdiction – including during returns procedures – as part of its definition of democratic rule of law. This would finally give the EU leverage when a member state undercuts its minimum standards on asylum. It would also help to address the perverse incentive structure of the current system in which member states are ​“rewarded” for sub-standard asylum systems, because such systems bar the returns of asylum seekers who have traveled onward to other EU states.

Hammer home the message of international credibility. The EU’s current treatment of asylum seekers is harming its international standing when advocating for principles like cooperation on migration policy, democratic rule of law and human rights. In several African states, EU officials have had to deal with rebuttals and accusations of hypocrisy when trying to argue for upholding the human rights of migrants. In private, German Chancellor Merkel has shared how China’s President Xi – of all people – has also confronted her with the failings of EU migration policy. A new, more humane compromise on asylum policy is a crucial step for the EU to regain some of its credibility on the international stage.

The chances are slim that the ​“pact’s” proposal on the Dublin Regulation will lead to concrete reforms worth fighting for. But the moment is more promising than it has been for a long time. The numbers of asylum applications in the EU have shrunk by almost 50 percent when compared to their peak in 2015. Since then, governments should have learned that the EU cannot afford a perpetual political crisis on asylum – and asylum seekers even less so.

AMMONNEWS – The European Union (EU) and in cooperation with the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation and the Ministry for Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship, on Monday held a ceremony celebrating the launch of the new EU-funded programme “Innovation for Enterprise Growth and Jobs” (in short “Innovate Jordan”).

Digital economic development is a joint priority for both the EU and Jordan. The ongoing COVID-19 crisis clearly emphasized the importance of digital connectivity, technologies and services to the local economy and society.

Through the “Innovate Jordan” program, the EU is investing 20 million euros to promote new initiatives that can unlock entrepreneurship and innovation potential and enhance job creation and growth in Jordan. Together with the local private sector, the EU will help companies become more competitive in local and international markets, and support innovation opportunities to boost digital economy.

Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Dr. Wissam Al Rabadi, pointed out that this event marks the EU’s signing of three grants with three entities and coalitions from the local private sector, which makes this project special due to the private sector’s role as the engine of growth and job creation, particularly for youth.

It also contributes to the local efforts under the five-year reform matrix that aims to create a more competitive economic environment, and strengthen innovation initiatives.

The minister noted that “through innovation, the business environment will be able to provide better services and products. It is important that innovation becomes part of companies’ business strategies, which together with a focus on competition leads to better performance and productivity as innovation creates a better investment and business environment.”

Minister of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship Muthana Gharaibeh, stressed the indisputable importance of investing in innovation and accelerating the efforts that the private and public sectors are doing towards an efficient and enabling ecosystem.

“The project comes in line with the Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship’s efforts to improve digitally-enabled income opportunities and expand digitized government services in Jordan through its recently launched “Youth, Technology and Jobs (YTJ)” project,” said Gharaibeh.

He added: “We are committed to empowering the citizens and residents of Jordan in their digital journey across sectors and industries, and our alignment with “Innovate Jordan” will ensure motivating and inspiring people to produce change by maximizing the impact of financial and non-financial incentive programs in place.”

“The EU s working on a digital transformation that will benefit everyone, and will make a real difference to people’s daily lives,” said the EU Ambassador to Jordan, Maria Hadjitheodosiou.

She also noted: “Through “Innovative Jordan” we are looking forward to working together with the local private sector to help businesses grow, to spark a culture of innovation among youth, and to provide more innovation facilities, financing and opportunities throughout Jordan. At the same time, by investing in innovation and digital economy, we aim to support the efforts of the Government of Jordan to alleviate the socio-economic impact of the COVID19 crisis.”

Three major grant initiatives will be supported. The first one, implemented by a local team led by Endeavor, will help 45 local businesses to grow, scale and enhance their capacities to reach out to foreign investment and international markets.

The second grant, implemented by a team led by SAM Engineering, will establish the first Digitalization and Innovation Centre in Jordan to promote digital solutions in manufacturing, following the trends of the fourth industrial revolution.

The third and final action, implemented by Orange, will promote digital economy, skills and jobs by developing new facilities across Jordan, including: 23 digital centres, 6 coding academies, 6 FabLabs, 6 incubators and 6 Growth Accelerators.

The overall objective of the ‘Innovate Jordan’ program is to support private sector-led innovation that could drive inclusive economic development and promote systematic change in the local enterprise and innovation ecosystem in Jordan.

The program will be implemented until 2024, through three grants. First Grant action, called ‘Scale-Up Roadmap for Growing Enterprises’ (SURGE) is implemented by a consortium led by Endeavor Jordan in partnership with BeyondCapital and Oasis500.

The Second Grant action, called ‘Jordan Industry 4.0 & Digitalization Innovation Centre’ (InJo4.0) is implemented by a consortium led by SAM Engineering & Trade Co. in partnership with Amman Chamber of Industry, IBTECAR, Transition Technologies – Advanced Solutions and Tum Tech, Third Grant action, called “Innovation Space” is implemented by Orange Jordan.

15,000 respirators have been transferred to medical workers of Luhansk Oblast to fight the COVID-19 pandemic

Sievierodonetsk, Luhansk Oblast, 28 September 2020 – The European Union together with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine have donated a batch of 15,000 N95 valveless respirators to Luhansk Oblast Clinical Hospital to enhance the safety of health workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The hospital is a level 3 medical facility that provides highly specialized routine and advisory medical care, as well as emergency medical care.
The transfer of the personal protective equipment worth U.S. $45,572 was carried out under the United Nations Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme with the financial support of the European Union.
The coordinator of the Local Governance and Decentralisation Reform Component of the UN Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme, Olena Ruditch, noted that doctors and medical workers are constantly at high risk of getting sick with the COVID-19 disease.

“The work to reinforce the resilience of medical institutions in eastern Ukraine continues, and the focus is now on the safety of medical staff,” Ruditch added. “Together with our European partners, we’re working to create conditions for doctors that are both safe, and that allow them to perform their work effectively and provide the necessary assistance to patients.”
The N95 respirator can block up to 95 percent of the smallest aerosol particles and filter the air, which may contain viruses and bacteria. This respirator provides better protection than a surgical mask or homemade protective equipment, as it can filter out both large and small air particles.
Respirators will help protect healthcare workers from viruses and bacteria that they could potentially inhale, either when transporting patients to medical facilities or during diagnosis and further treatment of patients directly at hospitals.
The Head of the Luhansk Oblast State Administration and Head of the Oblast Military-Civil Administration, Serhii Haidai, expressed his gratitude to the UN Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme for the systematic and repeated support of medical institutions in eastern Ukraine.
“At a time when the COVID-19 pandemic is raging in all countries of the world, I’m convinced that only together, by supporting each other, we can overcome the consequences of this dangerous disease and save human health and lives,” Haidai said.
Earlier in September UNDP and the EU supplied a batch of N95 protective respirators to medical institutions in Donetsk Oblast.

Background

The United Nations Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme (UN RPP) is being implemented by four United Nations agencies: the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Thirteen international partners support the Programme: the European Union (EU), the European Investment Bank (EIB), the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, and the governments of Canada, Denmark, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.

Media enquiries

Maksym Kytsiuk, Communications Associate, the UN Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme, [email protected], +380 63 576 1839

BRUSSELS: Britain’s position in talks on Brexit is “far apart” from what the European Union can accept and negotiations need to be urgently shifted into a higher gear, European Commissioner Maros Sefcovic said on Monday after talks with a senior UK minister.
“The UK’s positions are far apart from what the EU can accept. I have repeated the EU’s request to withdraw the contentious part of the draft Internal Markets Bill by the end of September,” told a news conference in Brussels.

He was speaking after a meeting with UK Cabinet Office Minister Michael in a Joint Committee tasked with implementing Britain’s Withdrawal Agreement and a proposed Internal Markets Bill that would undermine the divorce deal struck last year.

“We maintain that the bill, if adopted in its current form would constitute an extremely serious violation of the protocol and an essential part of the Withdrawal Agreement and of international law,” Sefcovic said.

He added that Monday’s joint committee meeting had shown “the urgent need to move into a higher gear” in the coming days before the next meeting in mid-October.

Analyst John Whitby has shared his point of view on the possibilities of resolutions to the current stalemate between the EU and the UK.

Sputnik: What effect will this visit from Gove have on negotiations between the EU and the UK? Will it change anything at all?

John Whitby: I would doubt it. I think the positions are fairly well-established and the main problem there is, is that we want to be independent and the EU want to retain control. I think the two are completely incompatible.

Sputnik: With talks setting up again and the messaging still remaining the same after four years of talks, is it time for the UK to just walk away?

John Whitby: I think the problem you’ve got is that nobody wants to actually do that, because they know if the UK walks away, then the EU will turn around and say “you never wanted to have a deal in the first place”, etc., etc. – and vice versa. I think the answer is yes, we wanted a deal, but we wanted a deal based upon a free trade agreement between two independent groups – the EU and UK. I don’t think the EU has ever really wanted that, because they can’t afford, in many ways, to let the UK be outside of their control and be successful.

Sputnik: What areas does the UK desperately need to prioritise to avoid chaos and further challenges in January? 

John Whitby: I think what they’re doing at the moment in Kent, and I was a little bit peeved listening to the reporting on it, where it was basically: you need to have a passport to get into Kent. Well, no, what they’re saying is you can’t go into Kent if you are planning to go across the channel and you don’t have the right paperwork, because otherwise you will block Kent, effectively. That seems to be very sensible. You wouldn’t go to the airport without your passport and this is very much the same sort of thing.

We need to make sure that we have the right streamlined processes in place and unfortunately that relies on the border force and HM Revenue and Customs, who are not always the quickest at reacting or implementing what would be sensible. I think whatever happens there’s going to be problems. I think there would be problems no matter what you did because I don’t think it’s in some people’s interest to have a smooth transition. There is a lot of time and money invested in the European project.
If you go back to the week after the Brexit vote, where the BBC’s Katya Adler was going around all of the European capitals, she made a very telling point at one of her last points of call – which I think was Rome – where she said “the one thing I’m getting from all these senior EU European leaders is that they are absolutely scared stiff of having a free, independent, flexible UK sitting on their doorstep”.

Because that would then encourage others to think “well, why are we paying for all this bureaucracy? Why are we paying for the European Commission? Why are we paying for the five presidents? Why are we paying for all this? If we could just have a free trade agreement with the UK and everybody else and just go ahead without the European Union infrastructure” – and that I think is the big, big problem.

The views and opinions expressed in the article do not necessarily reflect those of Sputnik.

BEIRUT — The European Union expressed “disappointment and concern” Monday about the resignation of Lebanon’s prime minister-designate over the weekend and urged the country’s leaders to do their best to form a Cabinet that meets the demands of the people.

Mustapha Adib’s resignation during a political impasse came amid Lebanon’s worst economic and financial crisis in decades — made worse by a massive explosion in Beirut in early August that killed and wounded many and caused widespread damage.

Adib, who handed in his resignation Saturday, nearly a month after winning majority support from the Parliament, left Beirut early Monday to return to his post as Lebanon’s ambassador to Germany.

Adib’s resignation was a blow to French President Emmanuel Macron’s efforts to break a dangerous stalemate in the crisis-hit country. Macron assailed the militant Hezbollah group and the entire Lebanese political class Sunday, and warned of a new civil war if they can’t set aside personal and religious interests to unlock international aid and save Lebanon from economic collapse.

Macron has been pressing Lebanese politicians to form a Cabinet made up of non-partisan specialists that can work on enacting urgent reforms to extract Lebanon from a devastating economic and financial crisis.

The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, urged Lebanon’s leaders to “unite and do their utmost for the timely formation of a government that must be able to meet the legitimate needs and demands of the Lebanese people.”

Borrell said the new Cabinet should be “committed to address Lebanon’s acute and multiple challenges — notably its humanitarian, socio-economic and financial crises, the coronavirus pandemic and the reconstruction of Beirut.”

He underlined the EU’s continued support for Lebanon and its people.

The international community has repeatedly said that Lebanon will not get financial aid before carrying out reforms to end decades of corruption and mismanagement by the ruling class that brought the tiny country to the verge of bankruptcy.

Macron on Sunday accused Lebanon’s political leaders of “collective betrayal” and choosing “to favor their partisan and individual interests to the general detriment of the country.”

Lebanon’s two main Shiite parties, Hezbollah and ally Amal, led by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, had insisted on retaining the Finance Ministry in the new government and on naming all the Shiite Cabinet ministers. Adib rejected those conditions and stepped down.

On Monday, the dollar was trading at 8,200 pounds on the black market, an 8% drop by the local currency since Adib’s resignation. The official rate remains 1,507 pounds to the dollar.

The crisis is expected to worsen as the central bank’s reserve’s are being depleted in what could force the government in the coming months to end subsidies for medicine and fuel, sharply increasing their prices.

Lebanon defaulted on paying back its debt for the first time ever in March. Talks with the International Monetary Fund on a bailout package have stalled.

The crisis has been compounded by the coronavirus pandemic and more recently by the Aug. 4 explosion at Beirut’s port caused by the detonation of thousands of tons of ammonium nitrates. It killed nearly 200 people, injured thousands and caused losses worth billions of dollars.

Cook reported from Brussels.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Germany, current president of the European Union, has proposed a scheme that links access to EU money, including the 750 billion euro recovery fund, to respecting the rule of law, a document seen by Reuters showed on Monday.

The proposal will underpin negotiations between the European Parliament and the 27 EU governments, which in July agreed to such a mechanism in principle but left out much detail to avoid a veto from Poland or Hungary, whose nationalist governments stand accused of flouting EU democratic norms.

Warsaw and Budapest are under EU investigation for undermining the independence of the judiciary, media and non-governmental organisations, and both could lose tens of billions of euros in funding if the rule of law mechanism is established.

In the recovery fund alone, excluding the linked long-term EU budget for 2021-27, Poland would be at risk of losing access to 23 billion euros ($26.84 billion) and Hungary to six billion.

“The rule of law requires that all public powers act within the constraints set out by law … under the control of independent and impartial courts,” reads the proposed draft regulation, which needs the approval of the European Parliament.

But the vast majority of EU lawmakers want the link between money and the rule of law to be stronger than agreed in July and the German proposal – sticking closely to the leaders’ summer agreement – is all but certain to disappoint the chamber.

Liberal German EU lawmaker Moritz Korner, who leads the chamber’s work on the matter, said Berlin was “cuddling” with eurosceptic, nationalist rulers in Warsaw and Budapest.

“Without an automatic sanction system, Germany’s proposal fails to defend the rule of law and the correctness of the EU budget spendings,” he told Reuters when asked about the scheme.

According to the German document, punishment for rule of law breaches would include suspending the flow of EU money to capitals seen as breaching democratic checks and balances. It would be decided by a majority vote of EU governments on a recommendation by the EU’s executive European Commission.

This could allow other governments to override opposition from Poland and Hungary.

But those seeking a stronger link argue that a majority of EU governments should be needed to decline, rather than endorse any recommendation by the Commission, to suspend funding for those flouting the rule of law.

That formula would make penalties more likely by leaving governments less room for political horse-trading.

“FINGER-WAGGING”

Some have cautioned, however, that seeking too ambitious a solution could backfire, given that Warsaw or Budapest might withdraw their support if the proposal is changed from what they signed up to in July after four days of tortuous talks.

“It is important that all sides stick to the delicate compromise reached. What didn’t find the support of the (leaders) at that time, will certainly not find it now,” said one official working on the matter.

Germany has already called on EU lawmakers to speed up work on approving the bloc’s next budget, the recovery fund and the related rule of law conditions so that money can start flowing, including to the ailing south of the EU, from 2021.

Asked about the Reuters story on Monday, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Poland would stick to the July agreement.

“There is no consent in Poland to allow for arbitrary application of various clauses and finger-wagging only because someone doesn’t like our government,” he told reporters.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban threatened to veto a related decision if the July agreement on the rule of law mechanism is not honoured, which would derail the next EU budget and the recovery fun, together worth some 1.8 trillion euros.

($1 = 0.8568 euros)