“Switzerland is violating the Dublin agreements by permitting migrants to cross via”

The variety of migrants arriving in Europe by way of the Balkan route is once more on the rise. Even when Switzerland is above all a rustic of transit, the scenario ought to encourage it to arrange a typical migration coverage with its neighbours, believes Etienne Piguet, vice-president of the Federal Migration Fee.

This content material was printed on October 26, 2022 – 10:24
26 October 2022 – 10:24

Katy Romy

Pauline Touruban

The European continent should as soon as once more handle a big inflow of migrants. The variety of irregular entries into the European Union has reached the very best degree since 2016, the European border guard company Frontex stated in mid-October.

Consequence for Switzerland: almost 700 folks Exterior hyperlinkarrive each week on the japanese border of Switzerland. A quantity about thrice increased than final winter. Whereas asylum functions have elevated, the vast majority of migrants don’t need to keep in Switzerland. They need to be a part of France or the UK. Specialist in borders and migratory flows and vice-president of the Federal Migration Fee, Etienne Piguet analyzes the scenario.

swissinfo.ch: Ought to Europe and Switzerland anticipate a brand new migration circulation just like that of 2015?

Etienne Piguet: We’re witnessing a resumption of serious inhabitants displacement, which might nonetheless develop. Then again, we must always not discover ourselves confronted with the identical scenario as in 2015. The scenario had then modified brutally and quickly, each within the international locations of origin, with an aggravation of the disaster in Syria, in transit international locations and in Europe, the place Germany and Sweden despatched a gap message. It was these three parameters collectively that had triggered large-scale displacements.

What are the components that designate the rise within the arrival of the variety of migrants in Europe?

On the one hand, some international locations, particularly Afghanistan, are experiencing continual crises, that are persevering with or worsening. On the identical time, there’s the angle of sure transit international locations which play with the opening and shutting of the passage for geopolitical causes. I am considering of Turkey and possibly Serbia. We additionally had the intense case of Belarus, which transported fleeing folks to the Polish border in November 2021. After which there’s a post-Covid impact; the lifting of most restrictions is main populations that have been caught for a time to strive their luck now.

The variety of migrant arrivals at Switzerland’s japanese border is on the riseExterior hyperlink. Who’re these folks?

Amongst them, there are totally different profiles, primarily from Afghanistan, but additionally from Turkey. Arrivals of individuals of Turkish origin have elevated sharply in current occasions. A few of these folks truly come to hunt safety from Switzerland, which leads to a rise in asylum functions. Nevertheless, the rise will not be spectacular, as a result of many individuals solely need to transit via Switzerland to go to international locations which might be extra enticing to them. The scenario is subsequently explicit, however not new. In 2015, we have been already confronted with a big circulation of people that wished to go elsewhere.

A investigation by German-speaking tv SRFExterior hyperlink just lately confirmed that Switzerland permits migrants to cross via to neighboring international locations, whereas renouncing sufficient to ship them again underneath the Dublin regulation. Is that this problematic for you?

It’s certainly problematic, even when one can perceive this angle. These folks don’t need to keep within the nation, nor do the authorities need them to remain. Furthermore, there’s a sure humanity in letting these folks transit as they need.

Nonetheless, by merely letting folks cross via, Switzerland is violating the Dublin agreements. This can be a short-sighted technique, as a result of the scenario might change and encourage folks to need to keep in Switzerland. On this case, the Confederation can be very joyful to have the ability to depend on European solidarity. Quite than going it alone, states ought to play the cardboard of European collaboration to collectively handle migration. This should undergo a reform of the Dublin agreements, which aren’t passable. With its humanitarian custom, Switzerland might assist relaunch the case. I dream of a significant convention in Geneva on the difficulty of asylum in Europe.

How ought to this technique be reformed to realize higher collaboration between the international locations of Europe within the administration of migration?

First, there should be solidarity within the processing of functions for defense. We might ask international locations that obtain few requests to indicate their solidarity in different methods, for instance via monetary contributions, because the European Fee had proposed. States that aren’t enticing shouldn’t be in a position to merely let others fend for themselves.

Secondly, reception situations in Europe needs to be harmonised. At present, protection charges range extensively by state, which isn’t acceptable. Folks fleeing Afghanistan, for instance, can’t have a greater likelihood of being protected in a single nation than in one other.

The Confederation has welcomed the Ukrainian refugees with open arms by activating the S standing. Do different inhabitants teams not additionally deserve this particular safety?

It’s certainly essential to have a dialogue on this topic. Neither Switzerland nor Europe have established standards to find out wherein scenario the activation of non permanent safety was needed. For Ukraine, we did it reactively. The authorities subsequently discover it troublesome to clarify why folks of Afghan origin don’t profit from the identical allow. The critiques are official.

Nevertheless, it isn’t simply because Ukrainians are white, Christian or European that we now have welcomed them with open arms, though that has performed a task. The principle criterion is the brutality and suddenness of the Russian invasion. Furthermore, the specificity of the scenario of individuals fleeing Ukraine is that they don’t want visas to enter Switzerland or the European Union. So that they have been in a position to come anyway.

How do you assume the arrivals of individuals fleeing the conflict in Ukraine will evolve within the coming months?

If the present stalemate persists, there shouldn’t be a major improve within the variety of Ukrainians in Switzerland. Quite the opposite, returns might even compensate for arrivals. That is the almost definitely situation. Nevertheless, if the scenario have been to deteriorate massively inflicting main injury to very important infrastructure in Ukraine, one might think about a brand new exodus.

>> What’s S standing? Learn our article:

Extra: SWI swissinfo.ch licensed by the Journalism Belief Initiative