The European Union (EU) reached a consensus on Wednesday, December 20, on guidelines to more fairly divide the costs and labour of hosting migrants. The agreement is being embraced by EU nations, particularly those near the bloc’s border. The regulations also aim to reduce the number of migrants who enter EU countries’ borders.                    

After late-night negotiations, the New Pact on Migration and Asylum was reached. Next year is when the regulations ought to go into force. The law’s provisions cover processing asylum applications, vetting irregular migrants upon entry into the EU, and establishing which EU nation is in charge of processing applications.

For almost ten years, Europe has been coping with the migration problem. Numerous migrants have arrived on the shores of the bloc, particularly in countries like Italy, after making the treacherous sea voyage in barely seaworthy vessels. These nations have insisted they should not be burdened by solving the migrant crisis.

The number of migrants entering the EU has decreased from its peak of one million in 2015, but it has gradually increased after falling to a low in 2020. Up until November of this year, roughly 255,000 migrants arrived. The majority of these came to Italy from Africa.

Italy’s Interior Minister, Matteo Piantedosi, praised the development as a “great success” for Europe and Italy after EU nations agreed on the pact’s rules. He claimed that countries bordering the EU, like Italy, would no longer feel isolated.

Olaf Scholz, the chancellor of Germany, praised the accord as well. He claimed the agreement was crucial for relieving the burden on nations like Germany impacted by the migrant crisis.

What are the new guidelines of EU nations?

Under the new arrangement, non-EU member states must select two options. They can take care of their portion of the 30,000 asylum requests or donate 20,000 euros ($21,870) each to a fund administered by the European Union.

Additionally, one of the goals of the new regulations is to develop a screening system that can accurately identify asylum seekers who require international protection from those who do not. The expeditious processing of applications is another goal of the regulations.