The European Commissioner for the Interior, Ylva Johansson, warned this Tuesday of a “high risk” of terrorist attacks in the EU during Christmas, and gave as an example the latest knife attack that took place a few hours ago in Paris.. Furthermore, the Swede links this type of act with the situation experienced with the war between Israel and Hamas.. “We saw it recently in Paris, unfortunately we have also seen it before,” with attacks like the one in Brussels just a month ago, with two dead. Thus, the European Commission is also committed to increasing support for security.

Johansson made this warning within the framework of the meeting of EU Interior Ministers, in which the proximity of a common pact on migration and asylum was also addressed, about which the Spanish minister, Fernando Grande Marlaska, is optimistic.. This Thursday a trilogue will take place between the Council, Commission and Parliament so that there can finally be a green light after almost a decade with the issue on the shelf. “Either it closes now or it will be difficult to close it in the future,” Marlaska said.

“The immigration challenge is a challenge that will continue over time and for this reason we are aware that we have to provide ourselves with a regulatory framework that makes us stronger in that sense to be able to face said challenge and show something very important. in this matter: the unity of the European Union”, developed Marlaska, in a scenario in which the European Commission has proposed, for example, toughening prison sentences – up to 15 years – against traffickers in cases in which there are deaths. at sea.

Marlaska assured that what is happening now between the Member States are “small differences” and that the debate is “on very technical issues” so there is a lot of optimism, shared by Johansson herself. “The atmosphere is very constructive. So I think we'll come to an agreement. Of course, there will be some obstacles and some debates, but I am optimistic,” he summarized, while Marlaska appealed again to the “flexibility that has been maintained these months” in search of the final agreement.

The precedent of 2015 is the reference for the EU in the attempted agreement, and that did not go well. The crisis derived from the war in Syria caused record numbers of refugee arrivals to Europe, and an attempt was made to agree on a quota system that the Eastern countries vetoed (just as they do now). The picture from 2023 is not very different, especially in the south: in 2022 around 331,000 irregular entries were detected at the EU's external borders, the highest level since 2016. So far this year, more than 41,000 have arrived in Spain (with figures up to October 31), and the Canary Islands account for more than half.

For now, Hungary, Poland and Italy continue to lead the harshest discourse. Budapest and Warsaw have been championing these positions against the arrival of migrants for years, especially through the mouth of Viktor Orbán, who warns every time he can about the “Islamization” of Europe, and refuses to close any pact. Giorgia Meloni, for her part, is betting on being more pragmatic in general, but she is not abandoning her anti-immigration positions completely. This is demonstrated, for example, by the latest agreement reached with Albania, with which Rome will build identification and reception centers in the Balkan country for migrants rescued by its rescue teams in the Mediterranean.