Improved rules for repatriations, the establishment of return hubs for migrants, and fixing what he called the "dysfunctional" asylum system: these were among the key priorities outlined by Kaare Dybvad, Denmark’s Minister for Migration and Integration. These priorities were presented on July 15 to the European Parliament’s Justice Committee as part of Denmark's agenda for its Council of the European Union presidency.

'Europeans call for immediate action'

"Our asylum request system is dysfunctional: we must make significant steps ahead. We are faced with a real and present challenge, and innovative and new solutions are needed. We want to realize progress, including updating the list of safe countries that should make the rules more effective for repatriations, those for the hubs in third countries, and the partnerships with the countries of origin. Migrants are often used by foreign countries as a political tool to destabilize us, and the situation requires that we act immediately, as European citizens are asking us to," said Dybvad before the European Parliament's Justice Committee.

"We applaud the new regulation on repatriations presented by the Commission: we must update the legislative framework that today has become obsolete", he added.

At this point, the Danish Minister for Justice, Peter Hummelgaard, spoke, stressing that among the priorities for the semester, there will be "The strengthening of internal security within the Union, fighting organized and trans-border crime".

"Our objective is to strengthen European cooperation against criminals who are often located in third countries, also thanks to the development of technology. We will fight human traffickers, and the abuse of minors, especially online," he explained.

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'Migrant migration hubs offer possibilities'

"Concerning repatriation hubs, these will be an issue addressed in the discussion: they offer possibilities which are not to be neglected, even if there are some objections", stated Dybyad, in reply to a question posed by a representative of the Patriots of the European Parliament's Justice Committee.

Concerning the Italy-Albania protocol, "there are some aspects of the agreement that can still be useful for other agreements with third countries. While it is a national policy, it must be aligned with human rights. Then there is the national judicial question, an Italian, and not a European one, which is what brought to its suspension," he said.

He concluded that "However, I repeat, the agreement foresees some positive experiences that can be used."

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