The “European Asylum and Migration Management Strategy” was presented by the European Commission today. It will set out the EU’s political objectives on asylum and migration and “serve as a compass with concrete priorities for the next five years”. The Commission reaffirms the “Union’s determination to put in place a framework that is fair and firm, and that effectively manages migration together with partner countries, delivering solutions while remaining true to European values. It asserts the principle that it is Europe that decides who comes to the EU, and under which circumstances”. This is certainly not the first proposal, strategy, plan or package of measures that the Commission has put forward in this area. In this case, according to the Commission, the Strategy sets out the way forward to achieve three main objectives: to prevent illegal migration and break the business of criminal smuggling networks; to protect people fleeing war and persecution while preventing abuse of the system; and to attract talent to the EU to boost the competitiveness of our economies. Vice President Henna Virkkunen said: “We have made significant headway in managing migration and asylum over the past years. Now is the time to look ahead: we must fully implement the Pact [Ed. note: on Migration and Asylum] and make our asylum and migration system future-proof. We must notably sustain the reduction in illegal arrivals, while at the same time encouraging legal pathways to the EU”.