Work on Proposal to Reform EU Asylum System Expected to Start in September

The technical work on the European Commission’s proposal to reform the Common European Asylum System will start in September, according to an EU source.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Work on the European Commission’s proposal to reform the Common European Asylum System is expected to start in the Council of the European Union in September, an EU source told Sputnik on Thursday.

“We expect then that the technical work will start in September in the preparatory bodies of the Council, in order to find a negotiating position to discuss with the European Parliament. The proposals are under the ordinary legislative procedure and qualify majority voting,” the source said.

On Wednesday, the European Commission proposed that asylum seekers should be allowed to earn their own money while their applications are being processed. It allows migrants to obtain work permits six months after the asylum request has been lodged.

Earlier in the day, Austrian Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka suggested banning asylum seekers from obtaining work permits in EU countries. He slammed the European Commission for proposing a blanket work permit for asylum seekers whose applications are likely to be upheld.

The European Union is currently struggling to manage a massive refugee crisis with hundreds of thousands of people leaving conflict-torn countries in the Middle East and North Africa to escape violence and poverty and seek asylum in Europe.