Europe wants to outsource the processing of asylum applications. Critics say that he abdicates his responsibilities.

The idea echoes discussions elsewhere in the developed world, including the United States, on how to outsource the litigation process and reduce the flow of arrivals. In the case of Europe, the proposal also broadens an existing strategy of using African countries as partners ready to crack down on smugglers and to intercept migrant vessels.

The European Union says that treatment centers would reduce the number of deadly Mediterranean seas and help better sort the crisis – by separating the poorest refugees from migrants in search of economic opportunities. Vetting remotely would also allow the EU to avoid the dilemma of what to do with migrants whose asylum applications are denied but who come from counties with which Europe does not have any agreements. # 39; eviction.

But critics, including some politicians and analysts, say Europe risks abdicating its responsibility. the time when migrant flows are significantly reduced from their peak of 2015, and where poor and less stable countries, where people – including minors – could languish in unsafe conditions, could face additional challenges . roll the dice, "said Jill Goldenziel, an associate professor at the Marine Corps University, who is writing a book on the global migration crisis." Europe would be required to maintain its own standards. It is incredibly difficult to guarantee, especially in a country like Libya or other developing countries that do not respect the same standards of human rights. "

In recent weeks, the US and Mexican authorities agree on" safe third countries ", which could force Central American migrants to cross Mexico to seek a settlement in this country, and allow the United States to return asylum seekers who do not, the United States and Canada have a similar agreement

which would benefit the Trump administration by reducing the number of Central American asylum seekers wishing to live in the United States, but it is unclear whether the Mexican authorities will adopt such a plan, or intend to use it as leverage in ongoing trade talks with Washington. 19659009] Australia, on the other hand, relied on a widely criticized strategy of retaining asylum seekers in detention centers similar to prisons. Asylum seekers were were held for years and some committed suicide

. The Migration Agreement, which also calls for the establishment of treatment centers in Europe hosted by volunteer countries, offers little detail on how the new system will work.

"It 's actually the easiest part of the task" Tusk said Friday of the agreement, "compared to what is waiting for us on the ground when we start at the same time. apply."

The European Union wants migrants to wait in centers in Africa, including Libya, as this detention center Tajora, photographed in 2017. (Lorenzo Tugnoli / For the Washington Post)

Goldenziel said that although it is legal to process asylum applications in one country before transferring successful applicants to another country, any migrant mistreatment – and the possibility that 39, they are sent back to places where their lives were in danger or could be tortured – could be challenged before the European Court of Human Rights.

idea of ​​installations for moral reasons. Gabi Zimmer, a member of the European Parliament and the German Left Party Die Linke, said that the "EU is transferring its humanitarian responsibility to other countries."

fell partly on Africa because He struggled to forge delicate agreements among his members on how to share the burden of asylum seekers once they arrive. Viktor Orban, the anti-migrant anti-migrant leader, suggested two years ago that the EU French President Emmanuel Macron also pleaded for treatment centers, saying last summer that if migrants were in good condition, Drunk, it would be necessary to set up a "giant refugee city" in Libya to treat asylum seekers. treated in Libya, they would avoid "taking crazy risks when not all are eligible for asylum".

"It's the failure of key agreements [within Europe] that drives this alternative agreement," said Frank Mc Namara, an analyst at the European Policy Center based in Brussels.

On Friday, no third country had offered to host migrant reception centers, and at least two of them had rejected the idea.

Thursday, the Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Bourita, told reporters after meeting with his Spanish counterpart that this outsourcing of reception centers by the EU He criticized the proposed measures by qualifying them "easy solutions" and said that Morocco has always refused this type of approach to manage the flow of migrants.

If Morocco sticks to its decision, it immediately sparks the EU's effort to prevent migrants from leaving North Africa's shores. Morocco is becoming a key milestone for migrants, who have increasingly moved west on their way across the Mediterranean.

Tunisia, another country seen by the US as a possible host of migrant centers, would also have rejected the idea. Tahar Cherif, Tunisia's ambassador to the EU, told The Guardian newspaper that his country had rejected a similar proposal a few months earlier. Tunisia, he said, has "neither the capacity nor the means to organize these detention centers". The country is struggling with high unemployment and other economic difficulties, as well as the fallout from the civil war in neighboring Libya. 19659024] France, one of the leading proponents of the EU's migration agreement considers Libya as an ideal location for treatment centers because it remains the main starting point for migrants to l & # 39; Europe. But human rights groups and non-governmental organizations have long criticized the EU's policy of supporting the Libyan Coast Guard, which intercepts the boats of migrants and sends people back to the Libyan coast, where they are often detained in overcrowded detention centers. . The US said Friday that it "would strengthen its support" to the Libyan Coast Guard and to other parts of the country.

Karline Kleijer, head of the emergency program of Médecins Sans Frontières, said Friday in a statement that the EU's goal was to "They are blocking people at the door of the" 39; Europe. "

"They are trying to pay the countries to do their dirty work, while trying to make sure that there are no annoying witnesses." were sent back to Libya by the Coast Guard, said the charity.

Raghavan brought back from Cairo. Josh Partlow in Mexico City, James McAuley in Paris and Luisa Beck in Berlin contributed to this report.

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