EU Commission presses for overhaul of asylum rules as Taliban enter Kabul

The crisis in Afghanistan and the actions of Belarus show that 'the clock has run out on how long we can wait to adopt the complete overhaul of Europe's migration and asylum rules we need', EU Commissioner Margaritis Schinas has said.
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Many EU member states are nervous that developments in Afghanistan could trigger a replay of Europe's 2015-2016 migration crisis [Getty]

The crisis in Afghanistan and the actions of Belarus demonstrate the need for a fast overhaul of the European Union's migration and asylum rules, EU Commissioner Margaritis Schinas said on Sunday.

"If there is one thing that the situation in Afghanistan and the actions of Belarus have shown, it is that the clock has run out on how long we can wait to adopt the complete overhaul of Europe's migration and asylum rules we need," Schinas said in a tweet, citing his comments in Italian paper La Stampa.

Many EU member states are nervous that developments in Afghanistan could trigger a replay of Europe's 2015-2016 migration crisis when the chaotic arrival of more than a million people from the Middle East stretched security and welfare systems and fuelled support for far-right groups. 

(Reuters)