The “Barbed Wire Right”
The European Parliament’s grand alliance of left, liberal, and centre-right rallied Wednesday afternoon as Eurocrats rejoiced at the passing of the EU Asylum and Migration Pact, a landmark piece of legislation meant to solve the bloc’s decade-long migration crisis through the centralisation of asylum policy across Europe.
Rejected by conservative MEPs as merely enshrining open border policies at an EU level, the Pact could radically limit the ability of future right-wing governments to constrain mass migration after the law comes into effect in approximately two years.
Included in the ten-part Pact is a ‘mandatory solidarity’ clause, obligating member states to either take in a certain quota of migrants or pay €20,000 per rejected migrant into a common fund; a central database where biometrics, including fingerprints, of migrants will be stored; and measures for quicker deportations of asylum seekers unlikely to be approved as well as migrants deemed to be security risks. Most importantly—and controversially—it relocates decision-making regarding migration from individual member states to Brussels.
While certain populist MEPs such as VOX’s Jorge Buxadé Villalba (European Conservatives and Reformist group, ECR) had input on the parts creating a common EU database for asylum seekers (Eurodoc), nine out of the ten pillars of the Pact were written by liberal and leftist MEPs, which emphasises the ideological slant of the legislation.
MEPs from the centrist European People’s Party (EPP) and Renew groups throughout the Brussels debate stressed that, while far from ideal, it was better for progressives to pass EU legislation on immigration before future populist governments had a chance to do so. Swedish MEP Abir Al-Sahlani (Center Party, Renew), made explicit reference to the “barbed wire right” and their wish to restrict third-world immigration.
The debate—which was heated, by European Parliament standards—was briefly suspended when open border activists began chanting and throwing paper aeroplanes onto the floor during crucial votes. Many from the extreme left voted against aspects of the bill, saying it would create a ‘Fortress Europe’ hostile to refugees—despite Swedish socialist Malin Björk drafting the part of the Pact relating to safe pathways to Europe.
Flemish nationalist MEP Tom Vandendriessche earned the chagrin of Eurofederalist Sophie in ‘t Veld (Volt party, Renew) for referencing replacement migration during the afternoon debate. In ‘t Velt even went as far as accusing her MEP colleague of using ‘Nazi language.’ Defending his remarks in response to The European Conservative, Vandendriessche said the Parliament was looking to prevent MEPs from “being able to criticise replacement migration.”
Swedish Commissioner Ylva Johansson—formerly a communist, now social democrat— welcomed approval by the Parliament as helping to take energy out of the sails of right-wing populists. Convinced the law will both successfully protect borders and the rights of migrants, Johansson said the reason conservatives have opposed the Pact is that they want migration to remain “a toxic theme to exploit.”
In a press conference held after the landmark vote, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hinted that the vote gave the EU confidence to pursue an agreement on controlling illegal immigration with the Egyptian government similar to one struck with Tunisia last year.
While the Pact was expected to pass, many populists had hoped to send the legislation back to the drawing board to give the European Parliament another say after June, when right-wing parties are expected to have grown stronger.
While certain right-wing MEPs in the ECR group conceded that the Pact had some positive aspects—around repatriation and cutting down on asylum scammers—AfD MEP Nicolaus Fest of the ID group said the Pact would allow for the “decriminalisation of smuggling NGOs, the right to family reunification, and lax regulations on medical age examinations,” describing the need for “large-scale deportations.”
The Budapest Blockade
Belgian PM Alexander Alexander de Croo was adamant about fast-tracking approval for the Pact by the governments of member states later this month during Belgium’s tenure of the EU Council Presidency—before Hungary takes over the position, which is expected to shift the EU’s agenda rightward.
Throughout the legislative process, the Hungarian governing party Fidesz has remained resolutely against the Pact, referring to it as an affront to national sovereignty during Wednesday’s plenary session. Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán described the legislation as “another nail in the coffin of the European Union” upon news of its approval.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said Hungary won’t bow to EU dictates on migration and called the Pact an attempt to
extend the Western European problem to Central Europe, which started when they gave up their own to protect their identity, their own culture, and their own society, they let in illegal migrants, which created dual societies and increased the threat of terrorism. … We will not allow this in Central Europe. We Hungarians, no matter what pressure we are under, no matter what kind of migration pact the MEPs vote for, we will not give up on the physical border. We will protect the border.
Failure of the EU to approve the Pact fully before Hungary’s takeover of the Council Presidency in July would give Budapest leverage to roll back many of its pro-migration parts. The legislation needs 15 out of 27 member states, representing at least 65% of the bloc’s population, to approve it through qualified majority voting.
Rather ironically, Hungary will find an ally in Poland’s new liberal prime minister, Donald Tusk, who stated that his country would reject the Pact due to the fact that his country has already taken in over two million Ukrainian refugees through the EU’s Temporary Protection Directive.
Additional continued opposition to the Pact could come from Slovakia—currently the subject of new ‘rule of law’ harassment from Brussels for its stance on the Ukraine war.
Speaking about the need for European liberals to get the Migration Pact over the line before elections in June MEP Charlie Weimers (ECR) before Wednesday’s vote said,
The left and Ylva Johansson will lose their power in the EU elections on June 9th. The establishment is aware of this. That’s why Brussels is attempting to push through this fig leaf. They need something to show when migration is debated in the election campaign. Hundreds of millions of migrants will attempt to get to Europe in coming years and this pact won’t stop the masses.
Failure of member states to implement the terms of the Pact would result in financial fines and even a suspension of EU voting rights.
The Pact will next be discussed at a meeting of various European officials in Ghent at the end of this month, with a vote scheduled in the European Council on April 29th.
Danish parties on both the Right and the Left have united in an attempt to invoke an opt-out clause for EU migration legislation.
Immigration control will be a leading issue in June’s election, with the impact of migration crime in France and many European cities being brought up repeatedly during Wednesday’s plenary debate.
