The European Parliament supported changes to EU asylum rules, which involve creating a single list of safe countries of origin and accelerating the processing of applications. The relevant decision was made by the deputies on Tuesday, February 10. According to InPoland.
408 MEPs voted in favor of creating a list of safe countries of origin in the EU, 184 voted against, and another 60 abstained. The new rules will primarily apply to citizens of Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, Kosovo, India, Morocco, and Tunisia. For people from these countries, the asylum process will become more complicated.
According to the adopted amendments, applicants from safe countries will have to prove that there are reasonable risks of persecution or serious harm in their case if they are returned to their homeland.
The EU expands the list of safe countries of origin
The European Parliament also supported the agreement on the application of the safe third country concept. 396 deputies voted in favor, 226 against, and another 30 abstained. The default list of safe countries will also include candidate countries for EU membership.
Exceptions are provided in cases of:
-
mass violence related to armed conflict;
-
situations where more than 20% of asylum applications in the EU come from citizens of one country;
-
imposition of economic sanctions for violations of fundamental rights and freedoms.
Safe third country: when the new rule applies
The concept of a safe third country will apply if at least one of the following conditions is met:
-
there is a connection between the applicant and the third country, including family, linguistic, or cultural;
-
the person has traveled to the EU through this country and could apply for asylum there;
-
there is a corresponding agreement between the EU and the third country.
These rules do not apply to unaccompanied minors. The European Commission will monitor the situation in the countries on the list and can temporarily or permanently exclude them from the list if necessary. Individual member states will also have the right to designate additional safe countries at the national level.
MEP Lena Dupont stated that the new approach 'allows for faster and more effective rejection of unsubstantiated asylum claims'.
It is worth noting that the European Union is preparing a number of options for including Ukraine in the bloc as part of an agreement to end the war. This issue has become particularly relevant after Ukraine received candidate status in 2022.