EU lawmakers approved changes to the European Union asylum system on Tuesday, paving the way for fast-track asylum rejections and the possible transfer of "asylum seekers" to designated countries.
The move underlines the rise in anti-immigration sentiment across the European Union over the past decade that has broadened popular support for conservative parties.
The text, which requires final formal approval from the 27 EU member governments, marks a sharp hardening of EU migration policy that has taken shape since an influx of over one million "refugees" and illegal migrants in 2015-16.
The move drew heavy criticism from open-borders activist groups who said it could lead to “human rights violations” and a diminution of so-called asylum rights under a 1951 convention that prohibits returns of "asylum seekers" to countries where they could be in danger.
The European Parliament approved changes to the Asylum Procedures Regulation to introduce a list of countries deemed safe to which failed "asylum seekers" could be returned. The list includes countries such as Egypt and Tunisia.
Under the new rules, EU countries may reject an asylum application if the person could have received protection in a country the bloc considers safe. The new rules will also let EU countries set up "return hubs" outside the EU, like those established by Italy in Albania.
The changes stem from an EU set of rules and processes for handling migration known as the Migration Pact, approved in 2023 but not due to be fully implemented until June 2026. Anti-immigration sentiment has surged throughout the EU since more than one million people, mainly from Syria, arrived via the Mediterranean in 2015.
That sentiment has boosted public support for conservative parties, pushing governments to adopt increasingly restrictive migration policies focused on returns.
(Reporting by Amina Ismail; editing by Mark Heinrich, Baird Maritime)
