EPP leader Weber urges unity on asylum rules

Ahead of EU consultations on the possible introduction of stricter asylum rules, German politician and European People’s Party (EPP) leader Manfred Weber has called for unity among EU countries and cooperation from the coalition government in Berlin, reported dpa.

Weber said EU member states should agree on a common position at the meeting of EU interior ministers on Thursday so negotiations on a reform of asylum procedures can start.

If they did not do so, "it would be a breach of duty towards our citizens," Weber told the Rheinische Post newspaper in an interview published on Wednesday.

The centre-right politician said that the German ruling coalition - a centre-left grouping of three parties - must also work towards a solution as soon as possible, "but in reality, the opposite is happening."

The reform of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS), which has been controversial for years, concerns the question of whether there should be preliminary checks of asylum applications at the European Union's external borders.

The German government wants to ensure that minors under 18 and families with children do not have to go through these procedures.

Commenting on the German Greens' and center-left SPD's demand to exempt minors between 12 and 17 from the planned border procedures, Weber said, "this encourages smugglers to target families and younger people because they have a de facto guarantee of being able to stay in Europe."

He added that this would "not protect young people, but put them at greater risk."