EU seeks consistency on asylum requests - more help to Malta

The European Commission will spell out tomorrow proposals to reduce differences in the way European Union countries handle requests for asylum, part of a new push to harmonise immigration rules.

In 1999, EU members began coordinating the way they deal with asylum seekers and the kind of treatment they are entitled to in terms of accommodation or healthcare.

But there are differences when it comes to how often countries accept requests from immigrants seeking protection.

For example, an Iraqi stands a 75 percent chance of being granted asylum in Germany but has only a 2 percent chance in Greece, a European Union official said.

Similarly, 62 percent of Chechens claiming asylum in Austria are successful but not one Chechen has been granted a request in neighbouring Slovakia.

"This shows that a level playing field does not exist and that of course puts into question the efficiency of the system," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The European Commission is due to publish a set of proposed changes to EU asylum rules over the next few years.

It will also say that plans to have a common asylum policy for the bloc might have to be postponed from 2010 to 2012, a draft text seen by Reuters shows.

Changes would include amendments to existing rules for handling asylum seekers and harmonising procedures and ways to give more help to Mediterranean countries such as Malta, Spain or Italy which are closest to Africa and struggle to cope with the numbers of people trying to get into Europe.

Another proposal would coordinate ways to identify people who qualify for asylum status in refugee camps in Africa, for example, who might otherwise risk their lives trying to reach Europe, the official said.

The Commission will also publish on Tuesday a set of proposals for a common migration policy, including ways to attract skilled labour to Europe and to help smooth the integration of newcomers into European societies.

France has said it wants to make immigration one of the priorities of its six-month presidency of the EU which starts on July 1. It is drawing up a proposal for an EU pact on migration.