The European Parliament adopts the “Buxadé report”, which facilitates the identification of illegal immigrants
The European Parliament’s Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee on Wednesday voted in favour of the new Asylum and Immigration Pact, including the reform of the Eurodac regulation. Presented by Spanish MEP Jorge Buxadé (VOX), the “Buxadé report” represents a crucial part of the new migration pact.
The Buxadé report was approved with 48 votes in favour, 17 against and two abstentions in the committee, but will still have to wait to see the light of day, as the final text is expected to be voted on in April or March in the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
The reform of Eurodac introduces a novelty in the Union’s migration control, since Member States will have a broader database to identify illegal immigrants, including fingerprints, facial images and travel documents, facilitating the detection of false documents and those immigrants considered to be at risk.
The new regulation also introduces a mandatory solidarity system for member states, which from its adoption will be able to opt for relocations or financial contributions, calculated according to GDP and population. Annually, the EU-27 will have to contribute a minimum of 30,000 people and 600 million euros.
Another of the new instruments approved will unify the rules for taking data from migrants who do not comply with entry requirements or are apprehended for illegal crossing. It includes health and security checks, and may last up to seven days. While the Council allows detention for these checks, the Parliament has also established a fundamental rights monitoring mechanism.
