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New migration body to be under Ministry of Internal Affairs’ control

22.12.2008   
Viacheslav Likhachev from the Congress of National Communities believes that placing control over this area under the MIA will inevitably lead to its boiling down to a “fight against illegal migration”.

Viacheslav Likhachev from the Congress of National Communities believes plans to subordinate the new migration body to the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of short-sighted. In an interview to the Ukrainian Service of Deutsche Welle, he explained his position on the recent Presidential Decree. The latter instructs the Cabinet of Ministers to review before the end of the year the creation of a separate central executive body on migration issues which will be coordinated by the MIA.

Likhachev believes such a body to be necessary however says that the decision by the Council of National Security and Defence, which is implemented via the President’s Decree is not ideal. The main sticking point in his view is the subordination to the MIA. He explains that those initiating the move cite the fact that in many developed countries migration is under MIA jurisdiction, however points out that in those countries the MIA is a civilian body and its police and criminal direction is just one of its departments. As far as the Ukrainian MIA is concerned, it has inherited a lot from Soviet times and is largely a body for “criminal policing”.

“Placing full power in the area of State migration police with the MIA will inevitably lead to all activities in this area, which is ripe for strategic change, turning into “the fight against illegal migration”.

He believes that the tug-of-war for control on migration could be a financial issue since large amounts of money for setting up temporary holding centres are being allocating through support from the EU.

From a report by Olha Vesnianska

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