If it’s a safe country, it is not asylum

In a major step forward in the EU’s fight against illegal migration, Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) has voted in favour of two important legislative proposals that will speed up the rejection of asylum applications that are considered unfounded. 

The first law clarifies the “safe third country” concept. When someone seeking asylum passes through another non-EU country considered safe, EU countries can deem their asylum application inadmissible. A key change is that just passing through a safe third country, or the existence of certain agreements, can now be enough to apply this rule, even if the person has no personal connection to that country.

Additionally, appeals against inadmissibility decisions will no longer have an automatic suspensive effect.

“This planned law brings long-needed coherence and gives Member States the flexibility they need to apply the concept effectively and consistently. We remove obstacles and ensure that the processing of inadmissible asylum procedures is faster, clearer and more effective - essential to reducing illegal migration and increasing returns,” says Lena Düpont MEP, Parliament’s negotiator of the safe third country concept.

The other voted law is an EU-wide list of safe countries of origin, meaning that asylum claims from people coming from those countries are unlikely to be successful.

"The EPP is delivering on our commitment to tackle illegal migration. We are accelerating the implementation of the Migration Pact and strengthening our efforts to ensure swifter return of those without a right to stay in Europe. Now we need to adopt this legislation quickly at the EU level," says Tomas Tobé MEP, EPP Group Vice-Chair in charge of Legal and Home Affairs, who negotiated the new safe origins list on behalf of the EPP

In addition to EU candidate countries, the list of safe countries currently includes Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, India, Kosovo, Morocco, and Tunisia. 

Today’s vote is Parliament’s position for negotiations with EU Member States.