Speaking on Austrian public radio Ö1 on 12 June, EU Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner defended the newly launched Pact on Migration and Asylum, insisting it would bring “more control over the EU’s external borders” and a fair burden-sharing mechanism among member states. Brunner, an Austrian national, acknowledged that the complex rules “will not function at 100 percent on day one” but argued the framework finally ends a decade of ad-hoc crisis management. Under the Pact, Austria will have to carry out border procedures for manifestly unfounded asylum claims and either grant protection or remove the applicant within 12 weeks. In return, other EU countries must accept relocations or pay financial contributions when Austria comes under disproportionate pressure. Brunner hopes this carrot-and-stick design will curb secondary movements that previously led many asylum-seekers to bypass registration in frontier states. Asked about concerns that faster returns could clash with human-rights standards, the Commissioner pointed to an independent monitoring mechanism and to the fact that the Pact was negotiated with the European Parliament. Still, legal aid organisations expect a wave of test cases before the Court of Justice, especially on the new crisis-derogation rules that allow detention for up to 20 weeks during large inflows. For multinationals that rely on intra-EU postings, Brunner’s comments are noteworthy: he confirmed that the legislation does not affect the freedom of movement for EU citizens or holders of EU Blue Cards, whose procedures remain under separate directives. However, companies employing third-country contractors should monitor whether the stricter screening slows down border queues during the summer build-up. Political analysts in Vienna read Brunner’s intervention as an attempt to reassure sceptical Central European governments ahead of the first Council review in October. Whether his optimism is justified will depend on how quickly member states roll out the IT backbone – Eurodac 2.0 and the Entry/Exit System – and whether relocation pledges materialise in practice.
Source: ORF.at
