EU summit in Copenhagen: Karner demands tougher measures against migration!

EU summit in Copenhagen: Karner demands tougher measures against migration!

Kopenhagen, Dänemark - The discussion about illegal migration was the central topic at the informal migration summit, which took place in Copenhagen on Tuesday. Among other things, the Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner and the EU migration commissioner Magnus Brunner took part in this important meeting. Karner urgently emphasized the need to reduce pressure on the EU external borders and prevent human dying in the Mediterranean. He called for the creation of asylum procedures and return centers outside of Europe to relieve the situation at the external borders. Another point on Karner's agenda was the abolition of the so -called "connection criterion", which only allows deportations to countries to which migrants have a connection, which in his opinion makes the return process difficult.

Karner reported a rethink among many EU partner countries and called for more robust measures to deport them. He emphasized that after the recently carried out returns to Syria and Afghanistan, a broad consensus among the European inner ministers was created that returns are no longer allowed to affect individual cases. According to the current figures, there were a total of 75,900 illegal border crossings at the EU external borders from January to June 2025, which represents a decrease of 20 % compared to the previous year.

statistics on migration

In addition, some EU representatives mentioned recording centers in Albania and Rwanda as positive examples, but their own European model must be developed. Magnus Brunner emphasized that this was only possible in negotiations with third countries and that the decision to establish such centers is responsible for every member country. In Austria, the discussion met with criticism, in particular from the FPÖ, which referred to the measures taken as inadequate and pointed out the continuing problems of illegal migration.

asylum procedure in the EU

A comprehensive consideration of the current refugee situation shows that according to UNHCR, a total of 117.3 million people are fleeing in 2023, with 67.1 million inland displaced persons and 37.4 million refugees under UN Protection. A large part of the refugees find refuge in countries with low or medium -sized incomes, with 70 % of refugees staying in neighboring countries. The causes of flight are diverse, including conflicts, violence, human rights violations and persecution.

Asylum applications in the EU are important in a European context in 2023. According to the data provided, most of the initial applications were provided by nationals from Syria, Afghanistan and Turkey. Venezuelans, Colombians and Peruvians are also among the most common applicants. Germany, France, Italy and Spain are the countries with most of the first -time income, with Germany with 329,035 applications at the top. The average recognition quota varies greatly between the EU countries; Germany has a quota of 52 %, while Spain, for example, only reaches 12 %.

In 2023, Germany also issued the largest number of EU Blue Cards, which offers highly qualified people a work and residence permit, and posted 69,000 cards issued. A total of around 89,000 highly qualified non-EU workers received an EU Blue Card, with India as the main sentence. These developments throw a new light on the multi -layered aspects of migration in the European Union and the upcoming challenges for the Member States.

The current situation in terms of migration and escape requires a comprehensive and coordinated approach of the EU. The events in Copenhagen could serve as the starting point for further progress in coping with these important questions.
Further information is available on Krone , Eurostat and Destatis .