European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson said on Thursday March 9 that she had questioned London on the compliance with international law of its bill drastically restricting the right to asylum to put an end to the arrival of migrants through the Channel.
“I spoke to (UK) Home Secretary Suella Braverman two days ago, she briefed me on this proposalsaid the Swedish commissioner as she arrived at a meeting of EU interior ministers in Brussels. “My immediate reaction was to ask whether this proposal is consistent with international obligations. She promised me she was, let’s hope she’s right, we need to look into it a bit moreadded Ylva Johansson.
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French Minister Gérald Darmanin for his part underlined that the Franco-British summit on Friday March 10 would be an opportunity to discuss this bill which makes asylum inaccessible to migrants who have arrived illegally, to discourage the tens of thousands of crossing the Channel on makeshift boats. “Obviously, there must not be any negative consequences for our bilateral relationship, but I am sure that in a very constructive way, we will be able to find ways and means“, did he declare. The French minister called for an agreement between the European Union and London “on the issue of legal channels of immigration” UK.
His Austrian counterpart Gerhard Karner said the UK project showed that “the pressure on Europe is growing with regard to illegal immigration and asylum abuses“. “In Europe, we must focus on our controls“, he estimated. The United Nations has estimated that the Illegal Immigration Bill presented by Britain amounted to “the end of the right of asylum“and pressed London to choose answers”more human“.
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