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Does France take its fair share of migrants?

By Aline Robert | EURACTIV.fr | translated by Ninon Bulckaert

13-06-2018

France is the third country in Europe in terms of asylum applications, after Germany and Italy. [Eurostat]

Languages: Français

France is the third European country in terms of asylum applications received but is only 26th out of 28 when it comes to acceptance rate. EURACTIV.fr reports.

French government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux declared on Tuesday morning (12 June) on French TV channel CNews that France “took its fair share” of migrants, after the Aquarius ship was left at sea the day before.

The rescue vessel which carried 629 migrants was finally authorised to disembark in Spain after being refused by Italy and Malta. France, which would have been a closer and thus more logical solution in this urgent matter, chose to remain silent.

Spain to receive rescue boat with 629 migrants after Italy, Malta refuse

Spain’s new prime minister ordered the authorities on Monday (11 June) to receive a rescue vessel carrying 629 migrants that has remained at sea in the Mediterranean after both the Italian and Maltese governments, the two nearest European territories, refused it permission to disembark. EURACTIV’s partner efe-epa reports.

But the statement according to which France has already taken its share of migrants does not correspond to the figures. These last two years in Europe, France has been the third country in terms of asylum applications, after Germany and Italy. In 2017, Germany received 198,255 applications, whereas France received 91,070.

France is the third country in Europe in terms of asylum applications, after Germany and Italy. [Eurostat]

But France is also one of the countries that refuse the highest number of migrants. The European Union on average accepts one in two asylum applications, whereas in 2017, France only accepted one in three.

It is true that national legislations differ and that the criteria for granting asylum are not always flexible, but the law also evolves according to political lines.

France grants very few subsidiary protections while receiving fewer applications than Italy or Germany and responding in a less favourable way.

France is 26th out of 28 when it comes to receiving migrants

The country ranks 26th of the 28 member states when it comes to receiving refugees, as the charts show. Only Poland and the Czech Republic proportionally refuse more asylum applications than France.

France is 26th out of 28 when it comes to receiving migrants: it accepted one in three, when the average is one in two in Europe [Eurostat]

French MP Benjamin Griveaux highlighted the fact that France is calling for a reform of the asylum system in Europe with the creation of a European Migration Agency, which Germany has recently joined.

But the creation of a project like this one could take years, and until then, it is hard to say that France takes its share of responsibility when it comes to the migration crisis.

MEPs hope to break deadlock on migration reform

Reaching a common EU response to the long-running migration crisis has been painfully slow. Ministers remain deadlocked on plans to reform the so-called Dublin Regulation that sets out the EU’s common migration and asylum rules.

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Languages: Français

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