European conservatives want asylum-seekers transferred to third countries

The main conservative group in the European Union parliament will call for asylum-seekers to be moved to "safe third countries" to assess their claims in its  manifesto to be approved Wednesday for elections in June.

The programme of the European People's Party -- which will formally back European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen as its candidate for a second term -- picks up controversial proposals by several conservative parties across Europe.

Britain, no longer an EU member, has notably embarked on plans to send undocumented migrants to Rwanda. Italy has a deal with Albania to set up centres to process migrants rescued in the Mediterranean.

Asylum applications in EU countries surged to over one million last year, a seven-year high, with Syrians and Afghans remaining at the top of the list, as the EU works through an overhaul of its rules on asylum-seekers.

Rules approved in December aim to share hosting responsibilities across the 27-country bloc and to speed up deportations of irregular migrants deemed ineligible to stay.

In its manifesto, which is expected to be adopted at a congress in Bucharest, the EPP called for a "fundamental change in European asylum law".

"We want to implement the concept of safe third countries," the manifesto reads.

Under the proposal, those applying for asylum in the EU could be transferred to a third country, and if their claim is deemed valid will receive protection there.

"A comprehensive contractual agreement will be established with the safe third country," the manifesto details.

Some of them could be admitted into the EU "through annual humanitarian quotas of vulnerable individuals," allowing "us to address both security and integration requirements in the selection process", it adds.

Germany's opposition Christian Democrats (CDU) -- von der Leyen's party -- in its draft manifesto presented in December has also proposed sending asylum seekers to third countries.

The move aims to bring down the numbers of migrants arriving in the EU, CDU official Jens Spahn told German media then.

He mentioned Africa's Rwanda and Ghana and Europe's Georgia and Moldova as possible third countries.

Britain has started negotiations with Rwanda to send migrants to Rwanda but there have been court objections.

The scheme has been widely criticised as undercutting basic rights principles, with EU home affairs commissioner Ylva Johansson also expressing some reservations.

In a different case, Italy signed a controversial deal with Albania -- which is not part of the European Union -- in November under which asylum seekers rescued at sea would be held in two migrant centres in Albania.

The EPP meets Wednesday and Thursday in Bucharest and is to choose von der Leyen as their lead candidate for European Commission president.

The EU elections are scheduled to take place from June 6-9.