Denmark plans deportation camp abroad
Asylum seekers whose applications have been rejected in Denmark are in future to be housed in a "not particularly attractive" location outside the country, according to Prime Minister Lars Lökke Rasmussen. The plans for the camp were developed together with other countries, including Austria. While some commentators applaud the decision others comment that Europe's asylum policy is increasingly focused on deterrence.
New impetus for joint EU asylum policy
For Berlingske the Danish government's plans could represent a first step towards ending the stalemate over a joint EU asylum policy:
“This is good news. The EU has long been negotiating a reform of the asylum system. ... But although everyone agrees that the current system must be changed, the negotiations are beset with difficulties. ... Too many different opinions are supposed to culminate in a joint solution. So it's welcome news that Denmark - led by its prime minister - is now trying to negotiate at the bilateral level. ... A bilateral solution could be exactly what is needed to reach an EU-wide solution.”
Copenhagen's policies follow European trend
Denmark of all countries is now on its way to becoming a pioneer in foreign and asylum policy, Die Welt observes:
“The Rasmussen cabinet has passed at least 68 amendments in the areas of asylum law and foreigners law since it came to power three years ago. ... Is Denmark losing its liberal soul? Possibly. But most Danes take a different view. They fear that they will lose their culture, their country and their security if they don't block the current refugee movement. The progressives may see this as wrong and lament and condemn it, but in their stance the Danes are very close not just to the Poles and the Hungarians, but also to the Austrians and French. Perhaps Denmark simply highlights a change within Europe that Germany is still trying to ignore.”
Little infernos like in Greece
Clearly the Greek government has inspired Denmark and its supporters with the controversial hotspots it set up on Aegean Sea islands in the context of the EU's deal with Turkey, writes Kathimerini with irony:
“The formula was simple: you set up little infernos. You pile people onto an island that they can't leave and abandon them there in dreadful living conditions in the hope that in their despair some of them will return to their own countries and tell all their relatives how terrible it is in Europe. ... Nowadays, the xenophobic anti-immigration policies that were once the preserve of Le Pen and a handful of populists have become acceptable for the majority of the EU, and are even poisoning the left, which by tradition was always sensitive to social issues.”