Sánchez’s Government once again remains isolated in the European Union in its defense of a “positive” vision of migration

The total loneliness of the Sánchez Government in immigration matter in the EU has once again been revealed at the meeting of the Twenty-seven Ministers of the Interior and Justice that concludes this Friday. A meeting in which Spain has reiterated its opposition to creating migrant repatriation centers outside the EU, in the face of the growing support that this solution generates among the member states or the president herself. Ursula von der Leyen.

“They know perfectly well that Spain’s immigration policy is evidently another. And we always work putting human rights at the center and with maximum respect for international legislation,” said the Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, Elma Saiz, in Brussels. “Every time there has been an attempt at these innovative solutions that restrict rights, has certainly received a slap on the wrist from international legislation,” says Saiz.

In contrast, “the majority of EU ministers have indicated their openness to exploring these innovative solutions,” according to European sources. “Innovative solutions” is the euphemism used in Brussels to refer to these migrant holding centers, whose model is the agreement that the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, has signed with Albania. The discussion will resume in January under the Polish presidency of the Council.

The Interior Ministers have also discussed what to do with the Syrian citizens welcomed in Europe after the fall of the dictatorship of Bashar Al Assad. Also on this issue, the Sánchez Government is in a minority in the EU. While up to 15 Member States (including Italy, France and Germany) have rushed to suspend the examination of asylum applications submitted by Syrians and others such as Austria are already preparing repatriation plans, the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaskaappeals to prudence.

“At this time, you have to be absolutely cautious and not take any measures that may undermine the right to asylum and to the refuge of Syrian citizens. I believe that we are in a very early situation and with possibilities that do not advise taking any measure that could limit that right as important as the right to international protection,” Grande-Marlaska alleged.

In the closed-door discussion in Brussels, the general conclusion that has been reached is that the situation in Syria is very “volatile and changeable”, so You can’t make “hasty decisions” regarding repatriations, according to the sources consulted.

“In terms of returns, several Member States have seen celebrations among the Syrian diaspora and to me that means that We must focus on voluntary returns as a first step. This may be attractive to many Syrians. At the moment, I would say that forced returns are not possible,” said the new Commissioner for the Interior, the Austrian Magnus Brunner.

“We have to be forceful against any message that speaks of xenophobia. It is not just about not being racist, but we have to be anti-racist. That is what I appeal to: to responsibility and face this shared challenge in a positive way“, the Minister of Incusión has insisted. For Saiz, immigration “has a lot to do” with Spain being in a leading position in rankings such as the one prepared by the magazine The Economist.

The isolation – this time absolute – of the Sánchez Government in Brussels when talking about immigration issues will be repeated this Friday during the debate on the new directive to toughen penalties against migrant smugglers. The Minister of Justice, Felix Bolañosis the only one among the Twenty-seven who will vote against this rule because the “humanitarian exception” has been diluted, which allows Member States not to punish people and NGOs that help irregular migrants for humanitarian reasons.

The current directive, which dates back to 2002, requires criminalize facilitating an immigrant’s illegal entry, transit or stay in the Union. At the same time, it leaves Member States free to not impose criminal sanctions in cases where the objective of this conduct is to provide humanitarian aid to migrants.

The Sánchez Government has defended tooth and nail that this ‘humanitarian clause’ also be maintained in the new directive, but a large majority of Member States are opposed. The compromise solution of the Hungarian presidency has been relegate it from the articles of the norm to the preamble. But this fix does not satisfy Spain for technical but above all political reasons, since it sends a “worrying message” for example to NGOs that rescue migrants in the Mediterranean.

Spain already has this ‘humanitarian clause’ in the Penal Code and the European Commission has given him guarantees that it will not open infringement proceedings for this reason. Even so, Minister Bolaños plans to vote against the directive to make his rejection clear. He will do it alone because the rest of the countries will give their approval to the reform, according to European sources.