EU’s new migration pact to have ‘devastating effects’, Spanish NGO warns

A Spanish NGO on Wednesday cautioned about the ‘devastating effects’ of the EU’s new migration pact on migrants and refugees, Anadolu Agency reported.

Spanish refugee commission CEAR, has criticized the plan for making it easier for European countries to violate human rights, the Turkish news agency added.

“The main goal is to block people from arriving, and if they do arrive, expel them as quickly as possible,” said CEAR in a statement.

The organization has also expressed concerns about externalizing EU borders, imposing more obstacles to asylum, and increasing pressure on border states like Spain.

It also denounced the pact’s “solidarity mechanism” which would allow EU states to pay a certain amount for migration projects for every migrant or refugee it refuses to take in.

The Spanish NGO also warns that parts of the law could turn European borders into “spaces without rights, in which poor reception conditions and excessive use of detention are normalized, despite the fact that deprivation of freedom should always be the last alternative.”

According to the new migration agreement, states will have the authority to designate a state of emergency when migration services are overburdened by a large number of migrants. In such cases, regular procedures may be put on hold. However, CEAR cautioned that this could lead to further erosion of rights.

Other organizations have also objected to the proposed reform. In December, over 50 NGOs, including Amnesty International and Oxfam, sent an open letter to the EU about the scheme’s human rights risks.

The contentious pact was approved in the EU Parliament on Wednesday, despite opposition from far-right and far-left parties.