Bangladesh reportedly bows down to EU pressure to bring back rejected asylum seekers
Publish : 30 Oct 2017, 14:06
A German newspaper on Sunday reported that Bangladesh is the first country to ink an agreement with the European Union to repatriate nationals who have been denied asylum in the 28-member strong bloc.
In efforts to crack down on illegal immigration, stakeholders at an EU meeting in Brussels on June 23 decided that non-EU country nationals will face restrictions to receiving the Schengen visa if it does not take back the asylum seekers expelled from Europe.
During the meeting, the 28-member bloc agreed to levy visa penalties on countries like Bangladesh, making it more difficult for their citizens to secure a visa to an EU country.
Quoting credible EU sources, top German newspaper Welt am Sonntag on Sunday reported that the visa threat has resulted in an agreement with Bangladesh, with Bangladeshi officials agreeing to comply with standard procedures for repatriations.
In the spring, a majority of migrants who crossed the Mediterranean Sea from Libya to Italy originated from Bangladesh, a EU report claims.
According to Italian Ministry of Interior, Bangladesh is just behind Nigeria as the single largest point of origin for migrants arriving by sea since 2014.
The first 100 days of 2017 saw 4,645 Bangladeshis illegally arrive in Italy. Over the same period of time in 2016, there were only three Bangladeshis making the same trip.
In 2016, a record high 8,131 Bangladeshi national were registered by authorities at landing points in Italy. In the first 120 days of 2017, 4,645 Bangladeshi have already been registered, 60% of last year’s total.
Welcoming the EU decision, German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere noted that the deal with Bangladesh proves that the visa-pressure tactic works "when the EU-member states act together."
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats party has been pushing for a yearly cap on asylum-seekers in Germany, particularly after losing a significant percentage of votes to the far-right Alternative for Germany.