Britain is set to lose its power to send asylum seekers back to other EU countries after the Brexit transition period ends, throwing the government’s immigration policy into disarray.
EU negotiators have reportedly rejected UK requests for a new agreement to replicate the Dublin Regulation, which binds EU member states to process certain asylum claims at the request of their neighbours.
The provision is used regularly by the UK to turn back refugees arriving on the south coast after travelling overland through France and other European countries.
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Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, is expected on Friday to elaborate on the situation, which has moved into the spotlight after an uptick in the number of dinghies landing on the Kent coast in recent months.
Under the current system, certain asylum seekers can be returned to the member state where they first entered the EU even if they claimed asylum in another country such as the UK.
The Guardian reports that this provision, which is continuing through the transition period, is now very unlikely to be extended, with Brussels rejecting demands for a similar agreement to be put in place after Brexit.
When approached by The Independent , the European Commission declined to comment on the situation in talks, which it said were ongoing, but an official reiterated that the UK would leave the Dublin Regulation when the transition period ends at the end of 2020.
EU officials also stressed that Mr Barnier’s negotiating mandate does not cover asylum matters.
The EU has long sought to reform the Dublin Regulation, which is widely seen as unfair to such countries as Greece and Italy, where people crossing the Mediterranean tend to land first, as a matter of geography.
Political deadlock on the issue at EU level means the regulations remain in place for now, but EU member states are understood to see Brexit as an opportunity to encourage the UK to take its fair share of people fleeing conflict and disaster.
The Dublin Regulation does not restrict where a person can actually claim asylum, or make their attempt illegal – rather, it determines the country that will ultimately process their claim.
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AP
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AFP via Getty
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AP
16/50 5 August 2020Damage at the site of Tuesday’s blast in Beirut’s port area, Lebanon
Reuters
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AFP via Getty
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Reuters
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EPA
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AFP via Getty
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dpa via AP
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EPA
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AP
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AFP via Getty
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AFP via Getty
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Reuters
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Reuters
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AFP via Getty
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AFP via Getty
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EPA
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AFP via Getty
41/50 11 July 2020People covered with coloured powder enjoy music during the Holi festival in Minsk, Belarus
EPA
42/50 10 July 2020A demonstrator during clashes following the funeral of 29-year-old Palestinian Ibrahim Abou Yacoub, who was killed by Israeli forces, in the village of Kifl Hares, south of the West Bank city of Nablus
AFP via Getty
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AP
44/50 8 July 2020Portraits of healthcare workers are pasted on the Opera Bastille, designed by Anne-Christine Poujoulat, to pay tribute to caregivers during the Covid-19 pandemic in Paris
Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP/Getty
45/50 7 July 2020Tengger tribe people make their way to the summit of Mount Bromo volcano to make offerings in Probolinggo, as part of the Yadnya Kasada Festival. The Tenggerese climb the active volcano to seek the blessing from the main deity by presenting offerings of rice, fruit, livestock and other items
AFP via Getty
46/50 6 July 2020A healthcare worker checks the temperature of residents during a check-up campaign in Mumbai, India
Reuters
47/50 5 July 2020People wearing protective face masks to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus sit at a bus stop in the city of Zanjan, Iran
AP
48/50 4 July 2020Protesters blocking an exit to the precinct of the officers who arrested Elijah McClain, cover their ears anticipating the use of flash-bang grenades by police in Aurora, Colorado
Reuters
49/50 3 July 2020A member of the Israeli border police jumps during a Palestinian protest against Israel’s plan to annex parts of the West Bank, in Kafr Qaddum near Nablus
Reuters
50/50 2 July 2020A surfer jumps clear of his board while enjoying winter waves at New Brighton Beach in Christchurch, New Zealand
AP
The UK’s obligations under the refugee convention mean that it must allow asylum claims from people who arrive on its shores. It is illegal under UK domestic law to enter British territory without permission, but crown prosecutors take into account a person’s status as an asylum seeker when deciding whether to charge them with an offence.
The home secretary, Priti Patel, said last week that she could send in the royal navy to intercept boats arriving in Britain, after the leader of the Brexit Party, Nigel Farage, accused a group of people arriving on a Kent beach of an “invasion”.
The Independent reported this week that the UK is pushing ahead with the deportation of asylum seekers arriving in boats, with France and Spain seen as viable return countries.
Source: UK Politics - www.independent.co.uk