EU states agree on safe country list to streamline asylum system for migrants

The European Parliament and EU Member States have reached a provisional agreement on two laws that will speed up the rejection of asylum applications that are considered unfounded.

Negotiators have agreed on an EU-wide list of safe countries of origin, meaning that asylum claims from people coming from those countries are unlikely to be successful.

Commenting on the news, European Parliament president Roberta Metsola said the agreements make Europe’s asylum system “more efficient, more flexible and more harmonised”.

“These new provisions will strengthen borders, speed up procedures and support Member States under pressure. This is an important step towards the full implementation of the Migration and Asylum Pact,” Metsola said.

The EPP, the largest political group within the European parliament, hailed it as a “major step towards a more controlled and effective European migration policy”.

“We are taking decisive steps to guarantee effective control over migration and speed up the return of illegal migrants. By clearly distinguishing between those in need of international protection and those who are not, we are reducing pressure at our borders,” said Tomas Tobé MEP, EPP Group Vice-Chair, who negotiated the new safe origins list on behalf of the EPP.

Negotiators also agreed on the “safe third country” concept which means that when someone seeking asylum passes through another non-EU country considered safe, EU countries can deem their asylum application inadmissible.