VOA新闻杂志2023--欧盟达成重大移民协议

EU Reaches Major Migration¹ Agreement

The European Union has reached an agreement that sets new rules for controlling migration.

The deal, announced Wednesday, will become part of an EU agreement called the New Pact² on Migration and Asylum³. The Associated Press reported the document will need to get final EU approval by February and is expected to enter into force by June.

The main purpose of the agreement is to set new rules to ease difficulties facing EU nations as they seek to deal with migrant arrivals. The deal also aims to establish a process for EU nations to more fairly share the duties and costs related to migration.

The laws cover screening policies for when migrants first arrive in the EU. They also provide rules relating to migrants seeking asylum and set guidelines for processing applications and dealing⁴ with possible migration crises.

"It's truly a historic day," European Parliament President Roberta Metsola told reporters in Brussels after the negotiations⁵. She added that reaching an agreement was important because migration is likely to be a major campaign issue ahead of EU elections in June.

"Let's not underestimate the risk if we had not reached such a deal," Metsola said. She added that she hopes the agreement will persuade EU members not to establish individual borders because the migration flows can now be more effectively dealt with.

Migrant arrivals in the EU are down from a high in 2015 of more than 1 million. Most of those migrants entering Europe were fleeing war in Syria and Iraq. But the flows started to increase in recent years and reached 255,000 so far this year through November, Reuters news agency reported. More than half of these crossed the Mediterranean⁶ from Africa, mainly to Italy.

Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi called the deal a "great success" for Europe and Italy. He said it should help EU border countries most involved with migration feel less alone.

German Chancellor⁷ Olaf Scholz said finding agreement on migration disputes was very important and can help lighten the load for the most affected⁸ EU states, including Germany.

Outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said he sees the deal improving "control over migration" and providing a better asylum process for migrants to the EU. Far-right lawmaker Geert Wilders aims to replace Rutte after winning the country's elections last month on a campaign that included anti-migration policies.

Under the new system, countries not at the EU border will have to choose between accepting their share of 30,000 asylum applicants⁹ or paying nearly 22,000 euros per person to the EU.

The screening system seeks to separate those in need of international protection from others who are not.

People whose asylum applications have a low chance of approval – such as those from India, Tunisia or Turkey – can be prevented from entering the EU and detained at the border. People seen as representing a threat to security can also be held at the border. The agreement also sets policies for speeding up the processing of applications.

While praised by many European leaders, the agreement also received criticism from groups seeking to assist migrants.

The European Council on Refugees and Exiles – a migrant rights organization – condemned¹⁰ the proposed rules on X, formerly¹¹ Twitter. The group said the policies were "Byzantine in their complexity¹² and Orban-esque in their cruelty." The message was commenting on Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who ordered the building of security fences to keep migrants out of the country.

Rights group Amnesty International said it sees the deal setting EU asylum law back many years and leading to greater suffering for people seeking asylum. It also said the agreement is likely to cause more people "to be put into de facto detention¹³" at the EU's borders, including families with children and other "vulnerable" individuals.

Words in This Story

screen – v. to find out information about someone in order to decide whether they are suitable for a particular purpose

application – n. an official and usually written request for something

de facto – adj. existing in fact, although perhaps not intended or officially accepted

vulnerable – adj. easy to hurt or attack physically or emotionally

1 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

2 pact   

n.合同，条约，公约，协定

参考例句：

• The two opposition parties made an electoral pact.那两个反对党订了一个有关选举的协定。
• The trade pact between those two countries came to an end.那两国的通商协定宣告结束。

3 asylum   

n.避难所，庇护所，避难

参考例句：

• The people ask for political asylum.人们请求政治避难。
• Having sought asylum in the West for many years,they were eventually granted it.他们最终获得了在西方寻求多年的避难权。

4 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

5 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

6 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

7 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

8 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

9 applicants   

申请人，求职人( applicant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were over 500 applicants for the job. 有500多人申请这份工作。
• He was impressed by the high calibre of applicants for the job. 求职人员出色的能力给他留下了深刻印象。

10 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

11 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

12 complexity   

n.复杂(性)，复杂的事物

参考例句：

• Only now did he understand the full complexity of the problem.直到现在他才明白这一问题的全部复杂性。
• The complexity of the road map puzzled me.错综复杂的公路图把我搞糊涂了。

13 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。