New Asylum Rules Limit Chances for Applicants From Designated States
The European Parliament in Straßburg has agreed on a unified list of so-called “safe countries” to accelerate and simplify asylum procedures across the European Union, as part of a new EU-wide asylum and migration system set to take effect in June.
The agreement follows legislative work that began in April 2024 and aims to eliminate differences between member states, which previously maintained their own national lists. These differences often prolonged asylum procedures and led to legal disputes, especially in complex cross-border cases.
Under the new list, asylum applications from citizens of specific countries will have a much lower chance of approval across the EU. The list, which still requires formal approval by the Council of the 27 EU member states, includes Kosovo, Indien, Ägypten, Marokko, Tunesien, Kolumbien, and Bangladesch.
Authorities will now be allowed to process applications from these countries more quickly. In such cases, the burden of proof shifts to the applicants, who must demonstrate that they face political persecution, unlike applicants from countries not classified as safe.
The agreement also allows member states to keep additional national safe-country lists alongside the EU list. However, the decision has drawn criticism from human rights organizations and political figures. SOS Humanity warned that being labeled “safe” does not guarantee real protection, citing reports of repression and violence in Tunesien. German MEP أوزليم أليف دميريل cautioned that the new system could lead to deportations without proper individual assessment.