New Pact on Migration and Asylum

Spain has to, first of all, strike a balance between a human approach to migration and a constructive policy for inclusion and social integration.

But yet, of course, implementing the rules which are enshrined in the Migration and Asylum Pact, which took us in the European Parliament to negotiate nothing less than 10 years.

The Migration and Asylum Pact now is fully effective and it entails procedures and guarantees to process the situations entailed by migratory flows.

And particularly when it comes to vulnerable people like us, unaccompanied minors.

You can't treat unaccompanied minors just like that.

You just said it.

If you let me finish the sentence, you'll see exactly what I'm saying, which is that Liberal Democrats would join the EU migration pact so that we can send anyone who arrives by small boat back to the first EU country they entered and instead, you know, take only their fair share.

But reinstate that agreement that they go back to the first country that they entered.

That might not necessarily be France.

You think that

would be popular?

I said the EU Migration Pact.

If we were in the EU Migration Pact, we would be back to the situation where we could return people to the first EU country that they arrived in.

At one reception centre, psychologists are now helping migrants cope with anxiety, nightmares and fears of being sent back.

The European Commission insists the new Migration and Asylum Pact contains strong safeguards and protections.

But some organisations say they're worried that with less time and fewer resources, some of the most vulnerable people may struggle to access the support they need.

and amid the uncertainty, one small gesture offered a moment of relief.

And once again, it's oh eight three three double one double three, uh, double one.

Now, Aontú will introduce and table its bill to withdraw Ireland from the EU migration pact by the end of September, party leader Peadar Tóibín has confirmed.

More than sixty-five thousand people have now signed Aontú's petition opposing the migration pact, demonstrating the level of public interest in the issue, the party has said.

And Deputy Peadar Tóibín joins me now.

So there's, there's many different views on whether we can opt out or not.

So legally, um, we know, for example, that Poland, um, has had an exemption.

Uh, Poland, um, has had an exemption because they say they're, they have accepted one million Ukrainian refugees and therefore they don't have to participate in the EU migration pact.

Also, Helen McEntee has said that, um, this does not stop flexibility in Irish policy in the future, and if the migration, the im-im-implementation of the migration pact, uh, changes in the future, uh, we can op-opt out.

The Fianna Fáil leader added that there needs to be a balance between independence, self-reliance, as opposed to total dependency, adding how the Cabinet will discuss all of the proposals and then take them forward.

Micheál Martin said that the coalition has made a significant change on immigration with the implementation of the EU Migration Pact, And he said, because we have introduced that, we have a firmer, more robust migration system now.

And he said the numbers of those seeking asylum is reducing and it has certainly reduced over the last 12 months.

And then he spoke about the European Union Asylum Pact.

However, there is an issue that even if they don't think that these would be their problems, they would soon become their problems.

Because joining the EU would imply that they would join the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum.

For them to not do this, and bear in mind they already have most of the benefits that come with membership of the EU, particularly when it comes to the economics.

So why would the EU want to do that to them? Right.

And it has four people per square kilometer.

So what about doing to them what we're doing to everyone else, such as what they're doing to Ireland? And I'll just give you an example.

For those of us from Ireland watching, check out, for instance, what happened in Newtown, Mount Kennedy in Ireland, where the Irish government... member of the EU, really interested in promoting the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, just said, well, let's put them there.

And the locals started protesting, and then the government started talking about far-right extremism and all the bad things.

Spain begins asylum overhaul as Europe's new migration system reaches the border.

Spain has begun overhauling its asylum and immigration rules to implement the European Union's new Migration and Asylum Pact.

The cabinet has approved preliminary legislation that would introduce faster asylum and border procedures while strengthening protections for minors and other vulnerable applicants.

The proposals still require consultation, further cabinet approval, and parliamentary passage.