Migrants disembark from an MSF vessel in the Sicilian harbour of Augusta, Italy, June 24, 2016. Photo: REUTERS/Antonio Parrinello.

EU Proposes New Asylum Rules to Stop Migrants Crossing Europe

Belgium - The European Commission proposed more unified EU asylum rules on Wednesday, in a bid to stop people waiting for refugee status moving around the bloc and disrupting its passport-free zone, writes Gabriela Baczynska for Reuters.

In an unprecedented wave of migration last year, 1.3 million people reached the EU and most ignored legal restrictions, trekking from the Mediterranean coast to apply for asylum in wealthy Germany, prompting some EU countries to suspend the Schengen Area system that allows free passage between most EU states.

"The changes will create a genuine common asylum procedure," said EU Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos. "At the same time, we set clear obligations and duties for asylum seekers to prevent secondary movements and abuse of procedures."

The United Nations refugee agency said it had concerns about the new rules and said the new system must not lower standards of protection and asylum.

The proposal would standardize refugee reception facilities across the bloc and unify the level of state support they can get, setting common rules on residence permits, travel papers, access to jobs, schools, social welfare and healthcare.

It would grant prospective refugees swifter rights to work, but also put more obligations on them, meaning that if they do not cooperate with the authorities or head to an EU state of their choice rather than staying put, their asylum application could be jeopardized.

The five-year waiting period after which refugees are eligible for long-term residence would be restarted if they move from their designated country, the Commission said.

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Migrants protest being stranded in Bicske, Hungary. Photo: Balazs Mohai/European Pressphoto Agency.

Hungary Built a Razor-Wire Fence to Keep Refugees Out. Now, It’s Desperate for Migrant Workers

United Kingdom - Hungary went further than most of its neighbors last year to keep fleeing foreigners out of the country. It built a more than 100-mile-long razor-wire border fence and in a strongly criticized practice, still sends refugees who entered the country illegally to prison, writes Rick Noack for the Washington Post.

Human rights organizations such as Amnesty International condemned the country for showing "blatant disregard for its human rights obligations." The Hungarian government, however, did not seem to really care. But now the country has realized it actually needs more foreigners.

Faced with a severe labor shortage, the government is considering plans to invite non-EU "guest workers" to live in the country. "Guest workers" are usually allowed to stay and work in a country for a certain number of years, but do not hold citizen rights.

Economics minister Mihály Varga has supported demands voiced by the country's Confederation of Employers and Industrialists to allow "hundreds of thousands of migrants from countries outside of the E.U." into Hungary, according to Austrian newspaper Die Presse.

Estimates predict that the nation will need tens of thousands of migrants to make up for its labor shortage and to prevent negative economic repercussions. But the draft proposal specifies that the country wants "skilled, culturally integrable guest workers" — most likely implying that Muslims are not welcome.

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