A truly European approach to tackling irregular migration is the only way
Nicholas Petre
January 29, 2026Renew Europe welcomes the presentation, albeit behind schedule, of the European Commission’s first European Asylum and Migration Management Strategy, which sets out a five-year framework to support the implementation of the Pact on Migration and Asylum and strengthen cooperation between Member States. However, Renew Europe regrets that the Strategy remains largely qualitative in nature and would have benefited from clearer benchmarks, factual data and more precise figures to allow for proper monitoring of progress and accountability.
At a moment when some forces on the far right in the European Parliament are calling to reopen or dismantle the Pact, Renew Europe is clear: Europe does not need another round of negotiations — it needs implementation. The Pact was the result of years of difficult compromise. Reopening it would only create legal uncertainty, delay solutions on the ground and weaken Europe’s ability to manage migration in an orderly, humane and credible way.
Renew Europe underlines that irregular migration to the European Union has fallen substantially.
This decline is not the result of slogans or national grandstanding, but of concrete European action: stronger external border management, closer cooperation with partner countries and coordinated implementation of common rules. This progress shows that managing migration together works and that delivery, not political theatre, is what produces results.
“Irregular migration is down substantially, and that did not happen by chance. It happened because Europe acted together. Those who want to reopen or dismantle the Pact, which has not totally entered into application, are not offering solutions, they are offering delay and division. What Europe needs now is firm rules, fair responsibility-sharing and full implementation.”
Fabienne KellerMember of the European Parliament
Renew Europe welcomes the Strategy’s commitment to a firm but fair approach, combining effective border management, efficient asylum procedures, solidarity between Member States and full respect for fundamental rights. The group also strongly supports the Strategy’s focus on labour and talent mobility.
“As an ageing continent, Europe needs legal migration,” Keller added. “If we want to sustain our economies, our public services and our competitiveness, we must expand legal pathways, attract skills and ensure proper integration. Migration policy is not only about control, it is also about opportunity.”
Fabienne KellerMember of the European Parliament
At the same time, Renew Europe stresses that Member States must do far more to prioritise integration. Managing migration does not end at the border or with an asylum decision. Access to language training, education, housing and the labour market is essential for social cohesion, economic contribution and public confidence in the system.
Renew Europe also underlines that innovation must not come at the expense of rights. While digital tools and artificial intelligence can help improve efficiency and consistency in asylum and migration management, their use must remain transparent, accountable and under democratic control, with clear safeguards to ensure compliance with EU law, data protection standards and fundamental rights. Technology must support, not replace, human decision-making.
Renew Europe is also concerned by a worrying semantic shift in the Strategy, which increasingly refers to “illegal migration” rather than “irregular migration”. The latter is the terminology used in the Pact on Migration and Asylum and reflects legal reality: a person may enter the European Union irregularly and still be entitled to international protection.
Finally, Renew Europe stresses that irregular migration and legal migration must not be conflated. These are distinct phenomena requiring different policy responses. A credible migration policy must combine firm action against irregular migration with the development of well-managed legal pathways that Europe needs.
Renew Europe will continue to support swift and faithful implementation of the Pact on Migration and Asylum, resist attempts to reopen settled legislation, and work constructively to ensure that Europe’s migration policy is effective, humane and future-proof.
