The EU migration commissioner Magnus Brunner will meet Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan in Dublin this morning for discussions on the EU’s Migration Pact, security and Ireland’s presidency next year of the European Union.
The Commissioner will visit Citywest reception centre, which the Government has recently acquired for €148.2m and which will be a key part of the State’s compliance with the EU Migration Pact.
Mr Brunner is also meeting senior garda officials as well as the Head of the Criminal Assets Bureau and Organised Crime to discuss security cooperation.
Commissioner Brunner, who also holds the internal affairs portfolio, is stopping off in Ireland en route back from Ottawa, where he attended a G7 ministerial meeting.
He has been visiting all 27 member states in recent weeks on the migration issue.
In a statement ahead of the visit, Mr Brunner said: "Ireland is doing an excellent job in preparing for the reform of our migration and asylum policy.
"With it, we will be in control over who can come to Europe, who can stay, and who must leave again. This is essential to reducing illegal crossings and restoring trust in our system.
"I also look forward to discussing how we can further strengthen our cooperation on security, and how we can do more across Europe to deprive organised crime of the profits that fuel its activities."
The visit follows the "areas that closely intersect with Ireland’s own priorities," said the statement.
The meeting with Minister O’Callaghan will focus on the Migration Pact, which will come into effect in mid-2026.
Overhaul of the EU's screening and registration of asylum seekers
The pact foresees an overhaul of the EU’s screening and registration of asylum seekers, with an emphasis on faster processing of those arriving in EU member states, combined with a new solidarity mechanism.
That mechanism foresees member states helping those frontline states - such as Greece or Italy - in the event of an overwhelming influx of migrants, which is termed the "Solidarity Pool".
Justice ministers from EU member states, including Mr O'Callaghan, will meet in Brussels on 8 December to negotiate further what allocations might be shared to which member states in such an event.
Member states will be allowed to choose whether they take on extra asylum seekers to alleviate the burden on frontline states, or instead make a financial contribution.
According to an Oireachtas parliamentary research note, Ireland’s annual contribution will consist of taking on 648 relocations per annum in an emergency situation, or making an annual financial contribution of €12.96m, or a combination of both.
Ireland has opted into all but two elements of the Migration Pact. The State is exempt from the entry/exit system, an automated IT system registering the entry and exit of all third-country nationals travelling to the Schengen passport free travel area.
In a report on 11 November, the European Commission acknowledged the "pressures on Ireland’s reception system - including increased arrivals via the Northern Irish border and significant numbers of Ukrainians. The Commission recommended that Ireland receive priority support from EU agencies and financial instruments," according to the statement.
Officials believe that a recent returns agreement between the UK and France to curb the flow of small boats bringing migrants across the Channel should reduce the numbers of migrants who make their way south via Northern Ireland.
Separately, member states are negotiating a returns regulation, which could see those whose asylum applications have been refused be sent to so-called returns hubs in third countries deemed safe.
At the Criminal Assets Bureau, the Commissioner will discuss security cooperation and Ireland’s work in tracing and seizing criminal proceeds.
The visit comes ahead of the presentation of the EU Drugs Strategy, which the Commissioner will unveil next week.
"Confiscating and seizing criminal assets is a key pillar in the fight against organised crime, making this engagement particularly timely and important," said the statement.
