Nineteen European Union (EU) member states and Norway have jointly called on the European Commission (EC) to take steps to allow the voluntary or forced return of Afghans who don't have a residence permit or face criminal prosecution in the EU, according to a letter to European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner published on Saturday, TASR reports based on news stories by Euractiv.com and Belga news agency.
The Belgian initiative was announced on Saturday by Belgian Minister for Asylum and Migration Anneleen Van Bossuyt, while Slovak Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok (Hlas-SD) signed the appeal on behalf of the Slovak Republic. The other signatories include Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Germany, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Sweden.
"Member states from north to south and west to east face the same obstacle: we can't return illegal or criminal Afghan nationals, even after their conviction," stated Van Bossuyt. "This undermines public confidence in asylum policy and poses a risk to our security. It is time to act collectively," added the minister.
Source: TASR
