The Cost of Non-Europe in Asylum Policy

Current structural weaknesses and shortcomings in the design and implementation of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) have a cost of EUR 50.5 billion per year, including costs due to irregular migration, lack of accountability in external action, inefficiencies in asylum procedures, poor living conditions and health, and dimmer employment prospects leading to lower generation of tax revenue. Seven policy options for the EU to tackle the identified gaps and barriers would bring about many benefits including better compliance with international and EU norms and values, lower levels of irregular migration to the EU and costs of border security and surveillance, increased effectiveness and efficiency of the asylum process, faster socio-economic integration of asylum-seekers, increased employment and tax revenues and reinforced protection of human rights in countries of return. Once, considered the costs, the net benefits of these policy options would be at least EUR 23.5 billion per year.