Brussels, Belgium – The European Parliament has approved new amendments to the EU asylum system, paving the way for faster rejection of asylum applications.
It also expands the possibility of deporting asylum seekers to countries designated as “safe,” even if they have no direct links to those countries.
This move signals a significant tightening of immigration policies within the bloc in recent years.
The text adopted by Parliament represents a pivotal stage in the reform of European migration policy.
However, it still requires final formal ratification by the governments of the 27 member states.
This trend is an extension of the transformations the European Union has undergone
since the influx of more than a million refugees and migrants in 2015 and 2016.
This influx has altered the political climate in many of its member states.
The new amendments introduce an expanded list of countries the EU considers “safe countries of origin.”
This allows for the rejection of asylum applications from individuals who,
according to the EU’s assessment, could obtain protection in those countries.
The list includes countries such as Egypt and Tunisia, despite ongoing human rights concerns regarding their human rights situations.
harsh criticism
The new rules also allow for the establishment of so-called “return centers” outside the EU.
These rules are modeled after the centers Italy established in Albania,
as part of a policy aimed at reducing the number of arrivals and returning rejected asylum seekers more quickly.
These amendments have drawn sharp criticism from human rights organizations
and European parliamentarians, who consider them a step backward from the principles of refugee protection.
Furthermore, they could violate the 1951 Refugee Convention, which prohibits returning people to countries where they may face danger.
French Green Party MP Mélissa Camara said the new texts “strip European migration policy of its humanitarian dimension.”
She also warned that classifying countries with alarming human rights situations
as “safe countries of origin” could expose hundreds of thousands of people to serious risks.
This move is part of the European “Migration Pact” adopted in 2023.
It is scheduled to be fully implemented from June 2026, amid the rising influence of right-wing parties and increasing political pressure to tighten immigration policies within the EU.
