Ioannou hails Cyprus’ migrant returns policy

Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou on Monday extolled the virtues of Cyprus’ migrant returns policy.

Ioannou was speaking an inter-ministerial meeting regarding asylum and migration attended by the European Union’s 27 member states’ ministers responsible for the matter in the Belgian city of Ghent.

He said the number of irregular migrants returned from Cyprus to their countries of origin from Cyprus increased by 66 per cent in 2023 compared to the previous year.

This, he explained, has been achieved by Cyprus deepening its cooperation with the EU’s border security agency Frontex, better informing migrants about Cyprus’ voluntary return programme, and utilising the EU’s solidarity mechanism to relocate migrants to other member states.

He said one key aspect of Cyprus’ voluntary return programme is the financial incentive offered by the Cypriot government to leave.

In addition, he said over 1,000 people were returned to their countries of origin between January and April 2024 – a 42 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.

He pointed out that these figures show Cyprus to have the highest number of migrant returns per head of any EU member state.

This point did not go unnoticed by European Commission vice president Margaritis Schinas, who described Cyprus as the “European champion of migrant returns” when he visited the island in March.

He added that “as a result of the very serious work that is being done in Cyprus … I think we can say, while avoiding triumphalism, that Cyprus has reached the end of the tunnel. In other words, immigration management is on a much more stable footing.”

In addition to the matter of migrant returns, the meeting also discussed the new EU pact on migration and asylum. The pact is set to be ready for full implementation in June 2026.

Ioannou had previously called the plan a “step in the right direction”, with it including provisions to help EU countries manage surges in migrant flows, as well as screening of third country nationals upon their entry to the EU, with identity checks, biometric data collection and other checks.

In addition, regulations regarding the Eurodac database will be altered, allowing for the fingerprints and photographs of those entering the EU illegally to be stored indefinitely.

The interior ministry said when it was passed into EU law that the pact “gives member states the tools to implement more effective migration management policies, and, above all, is a practical application of solidarity as a fundamental principle of the EU.”

They said it “establishes a common legislative framework for the 27 member states, and establishes procedures for, among other things, the reception and resettlement of migrants, faster processing of asylum applications, stricter legal procedures and penalties for migrant smugglers, and ways to manage crises.”

However, Ioannou had hoped the plan would go further regarding relocations of asylum seekers between member states, saying, “our request remains that the relocation of asylum seekers is mandatory and not voluntary.”