ITALY, Europe – The European Union faces early challenges in implementing its new migration and asylum policy, amid growing disagreements among member states over responsibility sharing.
- Features of the new system: return centers and flexible distribution of responsibilities
- Pay as you go: The preferred option for many countries
- Italy and Greece at the heart of the crisis
- Disagreements over mutual recognition of asylum decisions
- Time is running out for the European Union
- Fears of the rise of the far right and potential political repercussions
Especially with regard to the reception and distribution of asylum seekers within the bloc.
At a meeting of immigration and home affairs ministers in Luxembourg on Tuesday, sharp divisions emerged over the technical details and political considerations of the new system, which is scheduled to come into effect by June 2026.
Features of the new system: return centers and flexible distribution of responsibilities
The new European migration and asylum system, agreed upon in 2023, aims to ease the burden on border countries like Italy and Greece.
Through a solidarity mechanism that obliges member states to contribute either by receiving asylum seekers or by providing financial and human support.
But this “flexible solidarity” has begun to create clear divisions. Statements by several ministers have shown that many countries prefer financial contributions to opening their borders, weakening the essence of the new system.
Pay as you go: The preferred option for many countries
Belgian Migration Minister Anneleen Van Bossuyt said her country would provide financial contributions due to the “overcrowding of the reception system.”
Meanwhile, Finnish Interior Minister Mari Rantanen, from the far-right party, confirmed that Finland will not accept refugees from other countries.
Officials from Sweden and the Netherlands also expressed similar views. Swedish Migration Minister Johan Forssell said his country had “received large numbers of asylum seekers in the last decade,” indicating that the Swedish internal system was overstretched.
These situations portend the creation of a compensatory system that may focus on processing applications in other countries or providing logistical and financial support to receiving countries rather than the actual distribution of asylum seekers.
Italy and Greece at the heart of the crisis
Greece and Italy bear the brunt of the refugee burden, even though European rules (particularly the Dublin Regulation) require countries from which asylum seekers enter to bear responsibility for processing their applications.
However, the two countries processed only a small percentage of these applications last year.
Politico specifically noted the decline in compliance with these rules by these two countries, amid expectations that they would receive the largest share of support under the new regime, whether through receiving less or receiving more aid.
Disagreements over mutual recognition of asylum decisions
Another outstanding issue is the mandatory recognition of asylum decisions issued by other countries. Danish Immigration Minister Rasmus Stocklund noted a “significant division” among member states on this issue, despite Denmark proposing amendments to the current texts.
Time is running out for the European Union
Despite these obstacles, EU Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner expressed optimism about “significant cooperation” between countries, noting the importance of time and the need for rapid action to implement the system before the mid-2026 deadline.
However, warnings continue to circulate from research centers and policy experts. Analyst Alberto Horst Neidhardt of the European Policy Center warned that countries’ refusal to adhere to the new system “will fundamentally undermine the credibility of the Common European Asylum System.”
Fears of the rise of the far right and potential political repercussions
Given this stalemate, it’s not unlikely that some countries will reimpose controls on their internal borders or tighten measures at their external borders, analysts warn.
Politico, among them, expressed growing concern about the rise of far-right movements in Europe, which seek to exploit these divisions to strengthen their presence in the political arena.
It is worth noting that the current context is radically different from the 2015 refugee crisis, as European public opinion has become more hardline on immigration issues, further complicating the implementation of any joint reforms.
