EU Border Policy Debate Sparks Controversy Among Dublin EU Parliament Candidates
Flags at the EU Parliament Building in Brussels, Belgium. Alamy Stock Photo
EU BORDER POLICY was among the major themes debated on this afternoon’s The Week in Politics programme on RTÉ after Taoiseach Simon Harris said on Friday that he was keeping a “very open mind” about the possibility of the EU outsourcing the processing of asylum seeker claims to non-EU countries. The panel consisted of five EU Parliament candidates from the Dublin constituency. They were Regina Doherty (FG), Umar Al-Qadri (Ind.), Daithí Doolan (SF), Niall Boylan (Ind.) and Sinead Gibney (SD).
In light of Harris’ comment, Doherty was asked for her view on the proposal from the European People’s Party’s manifesto to make deals with third countries to offshore asylum processing. “We’re currently doing it,” she said. “We’re using countries outside of the European Union at the moment and my view is that if it protects the borders and makes decisions faster then the people are allowed into the Union and if it doesn’t, well then obviously we have to help them go back to where they came from or some other place that they might be accepted,” she said. “Ultimately, what we need to do is to protect the borders of the European Union, therefore protecting the borders of Ireland.”
Other members of the panel disagreed with Doherty, expressing various opinions on the EU Migration Pact and the handling of asylum seekers. Sinn Féin’s Daithí Doolin said the Irish asylum system is “broken” and that the number of staff processing claims should be doubled. Independent candidate Niall Boylan praised the UK’s Rwanda policy as an effective deterrent, while Social Democrat candidate Sinead Gibney called for search and rescue missions in the Mediterranean Sea.
Aside from immigration policy, the candidates were also asked about their position on defence policy at EU level and whether or not they would be supporting the re-election of outgoing Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Four out of the five panel members said they would not support von der Leyen’s bid for a second term.
The debate highlighted the diverse opinions among Dublin EU Parliament candidates on crucial EU policies and leadership decisions.