Last week, on April 10, the European Parliament approved the EU Asylum and Migration Pact despite objections from the far-left and the populist right.
This landmark agreement will force member states in the European Union to accept a certain proportion of illegal migrants, or pay a financial penalty for each one they reject.
The largest reform on EU migration and asylum rules in ten years was able to overcome strong opposition to pass the new changes.
The agreement, which consists of five pieces of legislation, was only passed after almost four years in the making, after several compromises were made.
MEPs affiliated with center right and left parties were able to force the act’s passage after being urged by their leadership to accept the compromise legislation.
“History made,” said European Parliament President Roberta Metsola in a tweet.
“We have delivered a robust legislative framework on how to deal with migration and asylum in the EU,” she added. “It has been more than ten years in the making. But we kept our word. A balance between solidarity and responsibility. This is the European way.”
The 27 members in the bloc will each have to endorse the reform package before it can take effect, which is expected at the end of April.
According to the deal, EU member states who refuse to accept their fair share of illegal migrants will have to financially contribute to a support fund, while those facing a major spike in asylum applicants may request that the new arrivals be distributed to other countries in the bloc.
Many on the right objected to this part of the deal.
“The Migration Pact organizes the tutelage and control of nations, the legal impunity of NGOs complicit with smugglers,” said Marine Le Pen of France’s National Rally in a tweet.
The migrant wave has been aided by far-left NGOs and charities, many of which have been accused of financially benefiting from their work with human traffickers.
Le Pen also promised her supporters that she would “put an end to the accelerated pursuit of policies to encourage and organize mass immigration” after the EU elections on June 9.
The left’s major objection to the EU migrant legislation is the establishment of border facilities in the bloc to detain, screen, and quickly deport asylum applicants with unverified claims.
Human rights groups and NGOs unsurprisingly rejected the European-wide agreement.
“For people escaping conflict, persecution, or economic insecurity, these reforms will mean less protection and a greater risk of facing human rights violations across Europe – including illegal and violent pushbacks, arbitrary detention, and discriminatory policing,” said Amnesty International.
Meanwhile, a tweet from Remix News showed left-wing protesters disrupting the parliamentary proceedings upon the approval of the act with chants of “This Pact kills, vote ‘No!’” as they threw paper objects into the legislative chambers.
The massive wave of migrants from majority Muslim and sub-Saharan countries over the past decade has been a politically explosive issue, with countries across the bloc being forced to financially support and house millions of these aliens, many with questionable asylum claims.
The southern European nations, which have faced the brunt of these so-called asylum seekers, have been calling for relief from their fellow members of the EU.
A surge in violent migrant-based crime and popular anger from voters has been the result of this unprecedented invasion, adding pressure on established European political parties to finally address the problem.