European Commission’s Overall Policy on Migration and Asylum
Since the approval of the von der Leyen Commission 2019-2024 on 27 November 2019, the agenda of the European Commission changed and consiquently the political priorities too. Prior to that, Migration was an individual political priority in Juncker’s Agenda (10 political priorities). Now, the political priorities of the European Commission for the period 2019-2024 are six (6) and Migration falls under the priority: Promoting our European Way of Life.
In particular, the Commission recognises that migration and border security are common challenges that are best addressed jointly by EU Member States and it has proposed a number of measures to reform migration management and border protection across the EU.
Four (4) Policy Areas:
Saving lives and stemming irregular migration flows
Thanks to the swift/resolute intervention by the EU, arrivals to Europe have steadily decreased since 2015 and hundreds of thousands lives have been saved.
Protecting borders with the European Border and Coast Guard
The new European Border and Coast Guard will have a force of 10,000 border guards with its own equipment to respond to emergencies quickly.
Safe and legal pathways: A new boost for resettlement
The Commission is dedicated to resettlement. Since 2015, over 65,000 of the most vulnerable refugees have found shelter in the EU.
Overhauling the EU’s asylum rules
The Commission has proposed a series of reforms to make the management of migration more effective, fair and robust, leaving no room to abuse the system.
Particular Policies on Migration and Asylum
The European Commission’s migration and asylum policies fall into three (3) main categories:
a. Legal migration and Integration
b. Irregular Migration & Return
c. Common European Asylum System
In addition, each of these main categories of the European Commission’s migration and asylum policy includes three categories of legal documents:
1. Regulations of the European Council, of the European Union and the European Commission
2. Decisions of the European Council of the European Union and the European Commission
3. Directives of the European Council of the European Union and the European Commission