Europaudvalget 2024-25
EUU Alm.del Bilag 50
Offentligt
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Sofia, Prague, Copenhagen,
Tallinn, Athens, Rome,
Nicosia, Riga, Vilnius, Valletta,
The Hague, Vienna, Warsaw,
Bucharest, Helsinki
To the attention of:
Ms Ylva Johansson, Commisisoner for Home Affairs
Ms Ilze Juhansone, Secretary-General of the Commission
Mr Gert Jan Koopman, Director-General for the Directorate-General for
Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations
Mr Anthony Whelan, Acting Head of Cabinet of President von der Leyen
Ms Beate Gminder, Acting Director-General for the Directorate-General for
Migration and Home Affairs
Ms Åsa Webber, Head of Cabinet of Commissioner Johansson
Ms Charmaine Hili, Migration and Home Affairs Adviser in the Cabinet of
President von der Leyen
 EUU, Alm.del - 2024-25 - Bilag 50: Fælles brev nye løsninger til at adressere den irregulære migration til Europa
15 May 2024
Joint Letter from the undersigned Ministers on new solutions to address irregular
migration to Europe
The following is a Joint Letter from the undersigned Ministers
The undersigned Ministers share a belief that the EU needs to continue to work to create a fairer,
more humane, sustainable and efficient asylum system worldwide, aimed at preventing and
addressing irregular migration at its roots and along the migratory routes, while providing adequate
protection and shelter for those in need, and fostering return and reintegration. Unfortunately, we
are far from that goal. The current challenges regarding the EU’s asylum and migration system,
including a sharp increase in irregular arrivals, are unsustainable. Our central responsibility and
commitment are to uphold stability and social cohesion and avoid risking polarization in European
societies and loss of unity in the family of EU Member States.
Moreover, the continued challenge of coping with the consequences of irregular migration towards
Europe impedes our ability to provide better protection and livelihoods for more refugees and
development assistance in regions of origin, where those most vulnerable and in need of international
protection are often left behind. Countries along the migratory routes play an indispensable role by
hosting large number of refugees. The EU and its Member States should enhance their contribution
to equal, constructive and broad partnerships with key countries, especially along the migratory
routes, by changing our focus from managing irregular migration in Europe to supporting refugees as
well as host communities in regions of origin.
The Pact on Migration and Asylum will equip EU Member States with a stronger legal framework for
managing the various aspects of migration, including by enhancing the security of our external borders
and creating more efficient asylum procedures. If we wish to further our efforts to break the incentive
structures that drive irregular migration movements and dangerous journeys towards Europe,
complementary efforts are necessary. We believe that in order to tackle the root causes of irregular
migration and manage migration movements to the EU, it will require all of us to think outside the box
and jointly find new ways to address this issue at EU level.
In light of the above, the undersigned Ministers call upon the Commission — in a joint effort with the
Member States — to identify, elaborate and propose new ways and solutions to prevent irregular
migration to Europe.
First and foremost, we encourage the establishment of comprehensive, mutually beneficial and
durable partnerships with key partner countries along the migratory routes. Such partnerships are
essential for not just managing irregular migration movements to Europe, but also to offer migrants
an alternative to putting their lives at risk on perilous journeys. Different ideas for optimising such
partnerships should be explored, including models inspired by the EU-Turkey Statement (and its 1:1
mechanism) and the EU-Tunisia MoU, as well as cooperation on regular pathways in accordance with
national law and national labour market needs. Additionally, possible place of safety arrangements
and transit mechanisms inspired by the existing Emergency Transit Mechanisms could be explored,
which would be aimed at detecting, intercepting, or in cases of distress, rescuing migrants on the high
seas and bringing them to a predetermined place of safety in a partner country outside the EU, where
durable solutions for those migrants could be found, also building on models like the Italy-Albania
Protocol.
Furthermore, returning those not in need of international protection is an equally important part of
an EU-wide response to managing irregular migration. It is vital that those with no right to stay in EU
Member States are returned swiftly, not only to minimise the negative consequences for the Member
 EUU, Alm.del - 2024-25 - Bilag 50: Fælles brev nye løsninger til at adressere den irregulære migration til Europa
States of housing rejected asylum seekers, but also to reduce the incentives for those seeking to enter
the EU irregularly. Therefore, we encourage the strengthening of both the internal and external
aspects of return, leading towards an effective EU return policy. This could include,
inter alia,
ensuring
more effective return systems in EU Member States that fully implement return decisions and looking
into potential cooperation with third countries on return hub mechanisms, where returnees could be
transferred to while awaiting their final removal. With regard to the latter, we encourage the
Commission and Member States alike to explore potential models within the current EU
acquis,
as
well as considering the potential need for changes to the Return Directive.
Moreover, in order to decrease the overall pressure on our migration management, it is important
that Member States have the possibility to transfer those asylum applicants for whom a safe third
country alternative is available to such countries. Therefore, the application of the concept of ‘safe
third countries’ in EU asylum law should be reassessed, with a view to both taking concrete and
immediate measures based on the current EU
acquis,
as well as reevaluating the legal framework
where necessary, including the connection criteria during the planned review of the safe third country
concept in 2025. The Commission is also encouraged to present a proposal to designate countries as
safe third countries at EU level as foreseen in the new Asylum Procedure Regulation.
The Pact and the Schengen Borders Code provide for the first time an EU legal framework on
instrumentalisation of migration. This framework should be further strengthened to provide a
comprehensive response to the threats posed by the instrumentalisation of migrants at the EU’s
external borders, including by reforming or complementing the existing tools and measures. The
undersigned Ministers call for appropriate and effective tools and measures for Member States to be
able to act swiftly to counter instances of instrumentalisation — such as the hybrid attacks
orchestrated most recently by the Belarusian and Russian regimes — in order to provide for the
national security of the Member States. Lastly, the EU and its Member States should use all available
measures at their disposal to strengthen and intensify the fight against migrant smuggling, including
by reaching agreement on the legislative proposals on combating migrant smuggling set forth by the
Commission.
These measures require a wide range of actions and long-term efforts, as well as a comprehensive
approach both at national and EU level. In parallel to our focus on irregular migration, we must also
increase our focus on our visa policy, as many asylum applications in the EU are made by persons from
visa-exempt countries or persons with a Schengen visa.
We reiterate that all new measures must be implemented in full compliance with our international
legal obligations, including the principle of
non-refoulement,
as well as the EU Charter of Fundamental
Rights and applicable EU law. Where necessary, the Commission is invited to propose the relevant
targeted legislative changes required to implement the proposed measures in Union law.
 EUU, Alm.del - 2024-25 - Bilag 50: Fælles brev nye løsninger til at adressere den irregulære migration til Europa
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Yours sincerely,
Mr Kalin Stoyanov
Minister of Interior of the Republic of Bulgaria
Mr Vít Rakušan
1st Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the
Interior of the Czech Republic
Mr Kaare Dybvad Bek
Minister for Immigration and Integration of the
Kingdom of Denmark
Mr Lauri Läänemets
Minister of Interior of the Republic of Estonia
Mr Dimitris Kairidis
Minister of Migration and Asylum of the
Hellenic Republic
Mr Matteo Piantedosi
Minister of Interior of the Italian Republic
Mr Konstantinos Ioannou
Minister of Interior of the Republic of Cyprus
Mr Rihards Kozlovskis
Minister of Interior of the Republic of Latvia
Ms Agnė Bilotaitė
Minister of Interior of the Republic of Lithuania
Dr Byron Camilleri
Minister for Home Affairs, Security and
Employment of the Republic of Malta
 EUU, Alm.del - 2024-25 - Bilag 50: Fælles brev nye løsninger til at adressere den irregulære migration til Europa
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Mr Eric van der Burg
Minister for Migration of the Kingdom of the
Netherlands
Mr Gerhard Karner
Federal Minister of Interior of the Republic of
Austria
Mr Tomasz Siemoniak
Minister of the Interior and Administration of
the Republic of Poland
Mr Marian-Cătălin Predoiu
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Internal
Affairs of Romania
Ms Mari Rantanen
Minister of the Interior of the Republic of Finland