21 October 2020
As part of the 'Pact on Migration and Asylum', the European Commission has proposed the creation of new independent monitoring mechanisms to investigate human rights abuses, such as pushbacks. However, while many see this as a necessity to prevent violations of individual rights in border control operations, there are a number of EU states who are likely to oppose the measure.
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Who will watch the watchmen on Europe's borders? (Balkan Insight, link):
"While pro- and anti-migration governments and groups gear up for tough negotiations over the European Commission’s new migration and asylum plan released in September, buried in the proposals and largely overlooked in the first analysis are provisions for member states to implement an independent border monitoring mechanism. With Brussels considering linking the rule of law to EU funds, this monitoring mechanism could end up being a highly contentious issue for the governments of Central and Southeast Europe.
The European Commission’s New Pact on Migration and Asylum, designed to solve the vexed issue of migration that has riven the bloc since the migrant crisis began in 2015, received mixed views that depended on which side of the debate each party sits.
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Included in the pact are provisions for member states to develop and implement an independent border monitoring mechanism, “to ensure full respect of [migrant] rights from beginning to end of the process.” This, some believe, could represent the biggest sticking point for the V4 countries.
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While it is still not entirely clear how this new mechanism will be built and made viable, establishing structures with a mandate to monitor border procedures and investigate allegations of violations in border procedures could be a significant development.
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Over the past few years, several member states on Europe’s periphery have taken steps to reduce any existing oversight over their border control tactics and ignored calls to investigate related allegations."
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