Filenews 20 May 2023
With a wide range of responsibilities and powers, a Deputy Ministry of Migration and Asylum is established, with the Deputy Minister dealing with the management of migration flows, signing agreements for the return of irregular persons, the establishment of a facility for unaccompanied minors, and even for the integration of legal immigrants into Cypriot society.
The relevant bill prepared by the Ministry of Interior was forwarded yesterday to the Legal Service for legislative scrutiny with a view to being submitted to Parliament for study and voting in three weeks. Under the umbrella of the deputy ministry will be placed all services dealing with immigration and asylum, as well as a large force from the Police, but without mentioning contracted special police officers.
According to the bill, the Deputy Ministry of Migration will include the Civil Registry and Migration Department, the Asylum Service, the Repatriation Office, and the First Reception, Accommodation and Refoulement Facilities. Only employees of the Civil Registry and Migration Department who, prior to the date of entry into force of the Law, were serving as permanent or permanent employees or any other employee, and had as their object of work, the performance of the responsibilities arising from the Civil Registry Law, the Marriage Law and the Civil Partnership Law, will be excluded. whose responsibility remains with the Ministry of the Interior.
With the deputy ministry, it will be possible for the Minister of Interior to break free from immigration issues and focus on his other responsibilities, however, he will cooperate with the deputy minister on policy issues.
The creation of the deputy ministry will have six main policies:
- Preventing irregular flows and fighting networks of smugglers.
- Speeding up asylum procedures, especially manifestly unfounded ones, and cracking down on undeclared work.
- Making full use of qualifications/skills, which are lacking in the Cypriot labour market, to strengthen the economy.
- Integration of legally residing third-country nationals.
- Strengthening cooperation as an EU Member State, as well as cooperation with third countries.
- Promotion of policy for Unaccompanied Minors.
As provided for in the bill, a Deputy Ministry of Migration and Asylum is established, which is assigned the following responsibilities: (a) The formulation and implementation of a comprehensive strategy on migration and asylum, including reception and hospitality issues, asylum procedures, integration of persons legally residing in the Republic and the return of illegal immigrants to their countries of origin, as well as legal migration issues; (b) operational management of migration and asylum issues; (c) coordinating the monitoring and application of Union law in matters falling within its competence; (d) the operation and management of reception and accommodation centres for applicants for international protection, as well as separate accommodation centres, for unaccompanied minors; (e) the conclusion of bilateral agreements with third countries on cooperation on migration, asylum and return; (f) the preparation of an integration strategy for third-country nationals legally residing in the Republic and the coordination of the implementation of the necessary actions for its implementation, in cooperation with the competent ministries, services and authorities of the state.
At the same time, with the establishment of the Deputy Ministry of Migration and Asylum, the aim is to develop and implement a unified and comprehensive strategy on migration and asylum and its effective management in order to ensure protection to the legal beneficiaries within the framework of the international and European obligations of the RoC with respect for human rights. To this end, it is necessary to implement and implement effective return procedures for third-country nationals who do not retain the right to stay in the Republic, as well as to develop cooperation with third countries in the field of readmission.
The Deputy Minister of Migration and Asylum will have coordinating and horizontal responsibilities and powers on migration and asylum issues. He will be able to sign agreements, present himself to EU institutions and, together with the Minister of the Interior, will present proposals before the Council of Ministers on issues of his competence. The challenges for the Deputy Minister of Migration are enormous since the numbers are unprecedented and he has to manage a problem that is constantly growing with unpredictable consequences for society.
According to the bill, the Deputy Minister leaves his post at the end of the term of office of the President of the Republic.
Civil Registry and Asylum Service move
As stated in the bill, for the purposes of the administrative structure of the Deputy Ministry, departments and services are transferred and integrated into it, which will constitute its departments/services, namely:
(a) The Civil Registry and Migration Department, which is renamed "Migration Department" and which immediately before the date of entry into force of this Law was under the Ministry of Interior.
(b) The Asylum Service, which immediately before the date of entry into force of this Law was under the Ministry of Interior and is transferred under the same name.
For the purposes of administrative structure, a legal support department operates and is integrated into the Deputy Ministry, which is staffed by appropriate personnel with legal training. All staff serving in these two departments will continue to work under the same status.
At the same time, the Deputy Minister, in consultation with the Chief of Police, will be able to request the support of members of the Police, who will assist in the work of the Deputy Ministry and will continue to work under the same status as in the Police.
With regard to the powers and responsibilities of the Deputy Minister, the bill sets out the following: (a) The political supervision of the Deputy Ministry; (b) the political representation of the Republic in bodies and institutions of the European Union or in any international organization, regarding matters falling within its competence; (c) the management of all matters and affairs falling within the powers or duties assigned to it; (d) the issuance of circulars, internal instructions and general instructions for the performance of any powers or duties assigned to him and the implementation of any Regulations issued pursuant to the provisions of this Law or any other law relating to the powers or duties assigned to him; (e) the preparatory work for submission to the Minister, depending on the subject, of bills, draft decrees or draft regulations concerning powers or duties assigned to him under the provisions of this Law.
Once the Legal Service gives the green light to the bill, it will be approved by the Council of Ministers and then sent to Parliament. EU ambassadors were already informed about the bill yesterday at a meeting with the President of the Republic at the Presidential Palace.
