Asylum and migration: plenary to vote on key reform proposals

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Parliament will decide on Thursday whether to start talks with EU member states on files on asylum and migration management and on long-term resident status.

As established in Parliament’s Rules of Procedure, the Civil Liberties Committee’s decisions to open negotiations with the Council on the final form of each piece of legislation were announced on Monday, at the beginning of the April plenary session. Decisions on several of the files were contested by MEPs, so plenary will hold votes on Thursday to confirm whether the negotiations can start on the following files:

• Situations of crisis and force majeure, rapporteur Juan Fernando López Aguilar (S&D, ES)
• Screening of third-country nationals and ECRIS-TCN, rapporteur Birgit Sippel (S&D, Germany)
• Asylum and Migration management , rapporteur Tomas Tobé (EPP, Sweden)
• Third-country nationals who are long-term residents, rapporteur Damian Boeselager (Greens/EFA, DE)

Background

In March 2023, the Civil Liberties Committee approved its negotiating positions on several legislative reports, namely on new screening procedures, rules on asylum and migration management, and crisis response as well as and long-term residents.

If the committee decision to enter into negotiations on any of the files is rejected by plenary on Thursday, the file will be added to the agenda of the 8-11 May plenary session, when a debate and vote on amendments would take place.

If plenary confirms the committee decisions on Thursday, MEPs may open talks with the Council immediately, on those files for which the member states have already agreed on their own position, such as the screening procedures.

Parliament and the rotating Council Presidencies have committed to work together to adopt the reform of the EU migration and asylum rules before the 2024 EU elections.

Press conference on legal migration

Today at 11.00, Javier Moreno Sánchez (S&D, ES), the rapporteur for the Single permit directive recast, and Damian Boeselager (Greens/EFA, DE), the rapporteur for the Long-term residents directive recast, will hold a joint press conference in Strasbourg.