The EU Parliament has adopted a €9.8 billion fund to support asylum and migration policy reinforcement and allocated another €6.2 billion for the external border management to respect the fundamental rights of the asylum seekers.
According to a press release issued by the EU Parliament, the 2021-2027 Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund will be used to reinforce the EU’s asylum policy, develop legal migration aligned with the need of the member states and contribute to combating illegal migration, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
The parliament especially asked for the funds to serve for pushing member states to share the responsibility of hosting refugees and asylum-seekers more fairly across the EU.
On the other hand, the €6.2 billion funds will be allocated for strengthening EU external border management while ensuring that asylum seekers are not deprived of fundamental human rights. The fund also intends to establish a more harmonious visa policy and introduce protective measures for vulnerable categories reaching Europe, especially unaccompanied children.
During the plenary, Rapporteur Tanja Fajon said that Europe needs additional resources to support the solidarity for establishing a reinforced migration and asylum policy.
“As for border management, the EU’s borders in future must be efficient, digital, humane and safe. Together we can bring border, visa and asylum policy back in line with our human rights obligations, notably with increased funding for search and rescue to aid those drowning on Europe’s borders,” Fajon noted.
She also said that these investments benefit society as a whole, and these funds ensure progress towards that long-term goal.
After the approval, the regulation regarding the funds will be published in the Official Journal to later start applying retroactively from January 1, 2021.
As SchengenVisaInfo.com reported previously, the European Union Parliament has decided to give the final approval to the update of the Visa Information System (VIS), which intends to strengthen the interoperability between the EU security and migration databases.
In a bid to combat trafficking children, the updated VIS will include data on the age of minor’s, while at the same time, fingerprints and facial images currently collected from the age of 12 will be collected for those from the age of six and older.
“The reform of the VIS will help to better manage migration, to protect our borders and to fight crime, especially child trafficking. We are delivering on our promises: more freedom with more security,” Rapporteur Paul Rangel said, commenting on the matter.
The EU Commission presented the proposal in order to upgrade the Visa Information System in May 2018, in a bid the respond to security and migratory challenges.
SOURCE: Schengen Visa Info
