“There are many things, we will evaluate the Migration and Asylum Pact, how it works, since it only came into effect on June 12 of this year, if I am not mistaken. (…) The main problem, as we have already seen, is that the Migration and Asylum Pact limits the border services’ ability to operate at the border. We saw this in Spain as well, but the Spaniards, seeing the tens of thousands of people who flooded Ceuta, still took measures,” he told journalists in the Seimas on Monday.
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“The Migration and Asylum Pact should not deny the security of states, and I think that in the future we will have to take into account the situation as it is both in the world and in Europe, without trying to be holier than the pope,” he added.
BNS wrote that at the end of July, about 50–70 thousand people illegally arrived from Morocco to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta on the northern coast of Africa, during which over 100 people died.
Madrid urgently took action to send migrants out of Ceuta. It is reported that most illegal migrants left the enclave.
The influx of migrants caused great tension among the 27 Community members. Both Italy and Denmark advocated for Spain to be removed from the Schengen free movement area due to the Ceuta crisis – an idea Madrid strongly rejected, and according to EU rules, it is legally impossible in any case.
According to M. Katelynas, from January 1 next year, with Lithuania chairing the EU, migration issues will be among the most important.
“There are definitely many member states for whom this is a relevant problem, especially those with an external European Union border, who see these problems and actively raise them. After an initial assessment of how the pact works, we may be able to submit proposals, collect them from member states, so that the next country after our chairmanship, Greece itself, which also faces migration pressure, can address these problems,” the minister said.
BNS wrote that on June 12, the new Migration and Asylum Pact officially came into effect throughout the EU, including Lithuania. This agreement essentially restructures the EU’s common migration policy, ensuring greater security for member states, more effective management of external borders, and a more sustainable solidarity mechanism.
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Under the EU solidarity mechanism, Lithuania intends to accept 58 migrants located in Cyprus and pay a contribution of 1.14 million euros.
The government decided last December that Lithuania will accept half of the migrants under the Migration and Asylum Pact approved by the EU Council in May 2024, and pay for the other half.
In turn, M. Katelynas earlier said he supports a fee for all migrants, noting that accepted foreigners also need to be maintained, which creates costs for the state.
Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius said that such a ministerial idea is “very seriously” considered.
The solidarity mechanism obliges Community members to share the migrant burden with countries that become the first arrival point for migrants to the EU.
According to data provided by the Migration Department in May, a total of over 218 thousand foreigners with valid residence permits are registered in the country.
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