The European Union should look at opening immigrant offices as a “matter of urgency” across all the troubled hotspots where the majority of asylum seekers are coming from, such as Nigeria, Georgia, Somalia, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, North Africa – and even in London, according to European Election candidate Peter Casey.
The former Dragons’ Den star said, “If the EU is serious about resolving the migrants’ crisis, they need to be proactive by opening immigration offices across all the most troubled locations from where asylum seekers are flocking to Ireland – including London.
“This should be done as a matter of urgency. These offices would allow refugees to apply for asylum in Europe. The authorities could then consider each case on an individual basis and vet them in a swift manner to decide on who merits entry to the EU.
“My proposal will fast track asylum seekers and help ensure that nobody is left sleeping in a tent.”
Peter Casey, who came second in the last presidential election, is proposing that a lottery system is set up to decide on which EU country each asylum seeker is sent to.
“The reality is, many of these migrants will all want to go to Ireland because, along with Malta, we are now the only two English speaking countries in the EU,” he pointed out.
“In order to ensure not too much unfair pressure is put on Ireland – as is being witnessed by the tents crisis in Dublin – those successful asylum seekers who are approved entry should be allocated a country based on a fair lottery system that distributes them equally right across the European Union.
“This would mean that these asylum seekers could be sent to Poland, Spain, France, the Baltic States or Ireland – where they will be met with a céad míle fáilte once the Irish public can see there is an unbiased and fair pan-European system in place.
“I am surprised that nobody in the Irish government, including all the Irish MEPS, have called for such a plan to be implemented.”
The independent candidate for Midlands-North West Constituency added that his idea would help dramatically reduce the number of refugees dying at sea.
He said, “Such a system will not only ease the crisis but it will also save lives of those who are putting themselves in extreme danger by being trafficked in unsafe dinghies by unscrupulous gangs to Western Europe.
“From January to December 2023, the UNHCR [United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees] recorded that 3,160 refugees were sadly reported as dead or missing at sea on the Mediterranean route to Europe. This is both terribly sad and shocking. My solution would help prevent such unnecessary deaths.
“The lack of action from major political parties on this pressing issue is troubling. If elected, I promise to advocate vigorously for policies that not only address immediate concerns but also strengthen the integrity of our immigration system.”
The Irish businessman also made a point of adding that “Ireland is crying out for skilled labour”.
He concluded, “We have a shortage of skilled labour such as nurses and doctors, for example. The more medical professionals we can attract, the more it would help ease the crisis in our health system.
“We should strive to create an immigration system that benefits both newcomers and Ireland, enhancing the rich fabric of our nation.
“If elected in the upcoming election, I will be proposing such common sense approaches to the European parliament.”