As the European Union (EU) approved its much-criticised migration pact after long and difficult negotiations on Wednesday evening, Flemish far-right Vlaams Belang and rightwing N-VA are using it to chase each other and the far-right vote in a race to the bottom.
The EU's Asylum and Migration Pact will significantly toughen the bloc's policy towards migrants and has been widely and repeatedly criticised by aid organisations, NGOs and left-wing parties for violating human rights, as it will forcibly push back people seeking safety at Europe's borders, criminalise those trying to help migrants and entrust border management to unsafe countries.
Rightwing and far-right politicians, however, are not hailing the agreement as a victory either, as they argue that the Pact does not go far enough – with MEP Assito Kanko (N-VA) calling it "a missed opportunity" but nevertheless voting in favour of several of the amendments.
"Good intentions and half solutions. The asylum and migration pact does nothing to prevent uncontrolled influx with the help of human smugglers," she said, while also adding that she does expect the stricter rules and expansion of databases to "take the pressure off our society."
'Far from perfect'
Kanko emphasised that "while Vlaams Belang has bravely submitted a few amendments, they knew they now have no chance. These measures have been negotiated for eight years and I have not seen Vlaams Belang in those negotiations."
She also urged voters to "not fall into their trap" and stressed that "Vlaams Belang has achieved nothing for you in the migration discussion. The N-VA has, even though it remains far from perfect."
On social media, Vlaams Belang MEP Tom Vandendriessche called Kanko's statements "lies" and stressed that he himself had been a negotiator on behalf of the Identity and Democracy Group (ID) on two of the EU Migration Pact's ten files.
"In the Eurodac (fingerprint database for identifying asylum seekers), it was me who overturned the majority by pledging ID's support" he said. "We were not completely satisfied with what was on the table, but we are pragmatic if it can mean a (small) step forward."
European Parliament in Brussels. Credit: Belga
In his speech in Parliament, he said that the Migration Pact is not at all about defending the EU's external borders against "the asylum invasion," but that it was the "purposeful and organised replacement of the European population" – evoking the far-right 'Great Replacement' theory conspiracy. Previously, Vandendriessche had already been under investigation for using the same "Nazi-like terminology."
"Our borders must close," he said. "Our people do not want more but rather less migration. This EU migration pact is pure madness, and the people will pay for it."
With the Federal, Regional and European elections coming up in under two months, the downward spiral of Vlaams Belang and N-VA's outbidding each other is pushing Flemish parties, as well as the entire debate around migration, to the right.
This, however, only deceives voters, argued Thomas Willekens of Refugee Work Flanders (Vluchtelingenwerk Vlaanderen). Instead of recognising that migration inherently has peaks and troughs, politicians have proposed the same "solutions" to migration for the past 30 years, without results. "This shows that politicians are misleading people, that they are contributing to a feeling of loss of control."
