Relocating asylum seekers: an attractive policy for Europe

Europe's plans to outsource asylum applications to curb the influx of migrants come up against major legal obstacles.

Transcript

00:00 204,000. That's the number of people who have applied for asylum in Germany since January

00:06 of this year. Berlin says it has recorded a 77% increase in asylum applications compared

00:12 to 2022. And they're looking to outsource the processing of asylum seekers to countries

00:17 outside the European Union.

00:22 European governments see this idea of offshoring asylum processing, moving it elsewhere, as

00:28 a way to possibly make the return of those who are in need of protection easier because

00:33 they wouldn't be admitted to the EU.

00:37 Italy reached an agreement with Tirana on the 6th of November to transfer its asylum

00:41 seekers to Albania while they wait for their paperwork to be reviewed. But some experts

00:46 have expressed concern.

00:48 There is the risk of differential treatment between asylum application that will be examined

00:55 in Italy and asylum application that will be examined in Albania. Indeed, we have to

01:00 remember that Albania is not bound to European law and regulation on asylum. This means that

01:09 there could be some issues in terms of the human rights of the asylum seekers.

01:15 According to the agreement, two reception centres will be created to shelter migrants

01:19 off Italy's coast. But the deal has raised a number of legal issues.

01:23 European law does not allow all asylum seekers to be held in custody. It requires an individual

01:30 examination of each case. It also requires that detention is not the primary solution

01:37 and that we examine whether there are alternatives to detention.

01:44 An initial legal assessment by the European Commission indicates that European law is

01:51 not applicable outside EU territory. But plans to transfer migrants from an EU member country

01:56 to a non-EU member country have so far proven unsuccessful.

02:01 The UK Supreme Court blocked a similar project on Wednesday. It ruled the government's plans

02:06 to send asylum seekers to Rwanda was unlawful.

02:11 awful.

02:11 (electronic music)