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WORLD NEWS Friday 29 September 2023

EU struggles to update asylum laws three years on from a

sweeping reform. And the clock is ticking

By LORNE COOK must endorse the asylum
Associated Press plan, and lawmakers are
BRUSSELS (AP) — Three blocking talks on parts of it
years after unveiling a plan until progress is made.
for sweeping reform of the “There’s still a lot of tech-
European Union’s outdat- nical and political work to
ed asylum rules, govern- be done” in talks with the
ment ministers struggled lawmakers, said Grande-
on Thursday to overcome Marlaska, whose country
yet another obstacle to holds the EU’s rotating pres-
putting the new system in idency. “Negotiations on
place, fueling doubt as to outstanding, sensitive issues
whether it will ever see the are now on hold and this is
light of day. of great concern to us.”
The New Pact on Migration Not only will there be new
and Asylum was touted as institutions. Hungary and
the answer to the EU’s mi- Poland, which have nation-
gration woes when it was alist and anti-migrant gov-
made public in September ernments, will each take
2020. The 27-nation bloc’s over the bloc’s presidency
old rules collapsed in 2015 for six months, starting with
after well over 1 million Budapest in July, then War-
people arrived in Europe saw in January 2025. Presi-
without authorization. Most Dozens of people from all over the world line in front of the central registration center for asylum dencies help set the EU’s
seekers in Berlin, Germany, Monday, Sept. 25, 2023.
were fleeing war in Syria or Associated Press working priorities.
Iraq. Hungary and Poland ve-
But little progress was made laying out extraordinary claims are assessed. next year and they may toed an EU summit state-
on the pact as the mem- measures that could be But the clock is ticking on want to modify the pact, ment in late June after they
ber states bickered over taken in the event of a the whole deal. raising the risk that it might were outvoted on other
which country should take massive, unforeseen move- Elections will be held across unravel. parts of the pact. They
charge of migrants when ment of migrants. the EU in June. For the pact “It’s not just the crisis regu- show no sign that they will
they arrive and whether It would involve setting up to get through, officials and lation, it’s about the whole back down.
other countries should be processing centers on the lawmakers say, an agree- pact,” Spanish Interior Min- “We have to take a deci-
obligated to help. EU’s outside borders where ment on all 10 parts of the ister Fernando Grande- sion based on consensus,”
That riddle was solved, at people would be screened plan must be sealed by Marlaska warned his EU Hungarian Deputy Interior
least temporarily, in June. when they arrive and in- February. A new European counterparts as he chaired Minister Bence Rétvári said.
The plan is held up now clude the option to detain Commission and European their meeting in Brussels. Hungary opposes the use
over a “crisis regulation” people until their asylum Parliament will start work The European Parliament of majority voting. q

Dutch police say 3 people are killed in shootings at a university

hospital and home in Rotterdam

By MIKE CORDER shooter was a 32-year-old was still under investigation. suspect lived, Police Chief and friends of the victims of
Associated Press student from Rotterdam. He He first shot and killed a Fred Westerbeke said. Po- the violence this afternoon
THE HAGUE, Netherlands was arrested at the hospital 39-year-old woman and se- lice said the girl later died in Rotterdam,” the royal
(AP) — A lone gunman carrying a firearm. His iden- riously injured her 14-year- of her injuries. pair wrote. “We also think
wearing a bulletproof vest tity was not released, and old daughter at an apart- The shooter then went to of everybody who lived in
opened fire in an apart- the motive for the shootings ment close to where the the nearby Erasmus Medi- fear during these terrible
ment and a hospital in the cal Center where he shot actions,” they added.
Dutch port city of Rotter- and killed a 43-year-old The Erasmus Medical Cen-
dam on Thursday, killing man, a teacher at the aca- ter appealed on social me-
three people, including a demic hospital, police said. dia for people not to go to
14-year-old girl, police said. He also started fires at the the hospital, but later said it
The shooting sent patients scenes of both shootings. was reopening. It said that
and medics fleeing the The identities of the victims all appointments sched-
Erasmus Medical Center were not released. uled for Friday would go
in downtown Rotterdam, The suspect was cooperat- ahead as planned. There
including some who were ing with police, Westerbeke have been scores of small
wheeled out of the building said. “It was a black day,” explosions and at homes
in beds. Others barricaded said Rotterdam Mayor and businesses across Rot-
themselves into rooms and Ahmed Aboutaleb. terdam this year, blamed
stuck hand-written signs to Dutch King Willem-Alexan- on rival drug gangs. There
windows to show their loca- der and Queen Maxima was no immediate sugges-
tion. Emergency services attend to the scene at Erasmus Medical expressed their sympa- tion that Thursday’s shoot-
Police Chief Fred Wester- Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, Thursday Sept. 28, 2023. thy on social media. “Our ing was linked to the feud-
beke told reporters that the Associated Press hearts go out to the family ing drug gangs.q