EU ministers promise tougher immigration policies after Islamist attacks

Ministers from across the European Union said on Thursday that member states must screen migrants and asylum seekers better and expel those deemed a security risk more quickly, after Islamist attacks highlighted persistent difficulties.

Interior and justice ministers met in Luxembourg to discuss what steps to take following deadly attacks in Brussels and France, at a time of heightened security concerns linked to the Israel-Hamas conflict.

"It is an absolutely a necessity that we make sure that European Union is safe from terrorist threats," said EU migration commissioner Ylva Johansson. "People who pose a security risk to the European Union need to be much, much more quickly returned to the country of origin."

"We also need to make sure that we don't have any violent anti-Semitism or violent Islamophobia... that all our citizens could feel safe in the European Union."

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The 45-year-old Tunisian gunman who killed two Swedish football fans in the Belgian capital on Monday was staying there illegally after his asylum request had been denied.

He reached the EU via the Italian island of Lampedusa in 2011 and also lived in Sweden. He was shot dead by Belgian police.

The attack in Brussels - which Johansson said was "a wake-up call" - underlined persistent failings of the EU's troubled migration and asylum systems, including security gaps and ineffective returns. Only about a fifth of people whose asylum cases fail in Europe are actually sent away.

In France, the 20-year-old, Russian-born Islamist Ingush accused of stabbing to death a teacher last Friday was known before the attack to be a possible security risk but could not have been expelled under current legislation, authorities said.

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said there should be no "naivety" on repatriations and joined many of his peers in calling for the swift implementation of the EU's much-discussed new migration rules.

Proponents of this looming overhaul of the EU's migration and asylum policies - expected to be finalised this year - say it would improve the situation, including by facilitating quicker repatriations of foreigners with criminal records.

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR

Thursday's meeting was the ministers' first chance to discuss the Oct. 7 attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas, to which Israel has responded by bombarding Gaza. Gaza health officials say bombing has so far killed more than 3,700 people.

The ministers took no specific decisions but considered what developments could cause Palestinians to flee in large numbers, or trigger violent acts inside the bloc.

"The EU is following very closely the situation in Palestine and whether anyone is leaving. So far it does not look like anyone would be," said Finland's Interior Minister Mari Rantanen.

"We are trying to get aid close to the crisis centres and in that way prevent large masses from heading here."

The EU, a bloc of 450 million people, has recorded some 250,000 irregular arrivals this year, in large part aided by smugglers, something Italy, Spain and Germany have recently voiced concern about.

There is also a new push for deals with African countries - including Egypt and Morocco - akin to the one the EU has sealed with Tunisia, offering aid in exchange for Tunis bringing down departures for Europe.

Critics of the EU's new migration and asylum policies doubt they would be effective and point to growing risks to human rights while focus is on deterring unauthorised immigration.

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