The first Ankerzentren were set up in 2018 at the instigation of the German Minister of Interior Horst Seehofer. They are designed to speed up the processing of asylum applications and to make it easier both to send rejected asylum seekers home and to transfer those placed under the “Dublin” procedure to other countries. These reception centres are the only ones of their kind in Europe and might inspire other Member States. However, a year and a half after they were set up, there is a great deal of criticism which is bringing the justification for their introduction into question.

Asylum became a European competence in 1999 and has gradually become the subject of a legislative framework thanks to the introduction of the Common European Asylum System. However, since 2015, European policies in this area have shown their limits, leading to a reform process which has still not come off. At a time when the new European commission is setting out its objectives for a new common asylum policy, is reform still possible?

Through the implementation of various activities – from initial reception services to the promotion of integration – the Greek Refugee Council seeks to inform about their rights and support the largest number of asylum seekers and refugees on Greek territory.

It has become one of the major associations in the field of asylum in Greece and has helped more than 125,000 beneficiaries since its creation in 1989.

Sylvie Guillaume is a member of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats group in the European Parliament (S&D). She shares her views on the management of asylum seekers’ arrivals in the EU since 2015, on the new Pact on Asylum and Immigration of the von der Leyen Commission and on the role of the Parliament for the European legislature starting in 2019.

Faced directly with migration issues and with the need to find immediate and effective solutions, European cities have gradually chosen to join national and European solidarity networks. Those networks help them design local public policies as well as influence national and European political agendas.

Lesvos, Calais, Melilla and Lampedusa are all municipalities which, as the European Union is being built and its asylum and immigration policy is being transformed, have become symbols of the Union’s borders. Vues d’Europe looks back at the role that these “border cities” have played and the challenges they face with the increase in arrivals of migrant population, and with the organization of their reception and integration.

Although migration policy is predominantly a state competence in the EU, European cities are emerging as key players in the reception and integration of migrants, particularly since 2015. Restrictive national measures, unclear distribution of competences, difficult access to funding … they nevertheless face a number of obstacles.

For twenty years, and even more since 2015, EU Member States have struggled to reach a real agreement on a Common European Asylum System, with the lack of solidarity between national governments mainly hindering the revision of the Dublin Regulation. Looking at this challenge, cities are taking on an increasingly important role, particularly for the integration of refugees, in cooperation with civil society and private actors.