Although the original deadline is the end of this year, it is possible that the agreement on the common European refugee system will be postponed to next year – said Cecilia Malmström, European Commissioner for Home Affairs at the press conference following the EU Ministers of Interior meeting.

Both Malmström and Eleni Mavrou, Cypriot Minister of Interior talked about the significant progress they have achieved in bringing the standpoints closer, adding however that it is not yet completed. According to Malmström it is possible that the agreement will be postponed to the first weeks of 2013.
Minister Mavrou reminded that a political partial agreement was made in October on the conditions of receiving refugees; also regarding the Dublin Regulation. The regulation states the country that a refugee first arrived in is responsible for dealing with the application. According to EU sources this fundamental rule will be kept, however changes are expected in the detailed regulation.

There is an on-going debate on whether the police and organizations related to jurisdiction should be allowed to access Eurodac, the electronic register where fingerprints of asylum seekers are stored.

According to media reports Germany’s proposal was much disputed among the representatives, suggesting for example the possibility of investigating the asylum seekers’ plea at the airport terminal with the option of turning them back without allowing them to enter the country.

At the meeting Hungary was represented by Minister of Interior Sándor Pintér where participants discussed the report of the European Commission on the operation of the Schengen zone. The report touches upon the situation of the outer borders and the migration within the zone as well as cases of the temporary re-establishment of border controll.

The minsters also discussed the periodic report of the EU coordinator for counter terrorism and accepted the presidency’s proposal in connection with aviation security, according to which, risk analysis has to be extended in order to identify targets especially vulnerable and endangered by terrorism.
The ministers were also informed about the letter of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on the crisis in Syria. The letter made it clear that the refugee situation around Syria is still grave. The ministers agreed that developments have to be followed closely by the EU and the Union has to be prepared to provide regional humanitarian help.

(MTI, Ministry of Interior)