The EU's Pact on Asylum and Migration: The end of an unsustainable system and a historic comprehensive solution amid geopolitical uncertainty

The European D-day for the Common European Asylum System has arrived for an asylum and migration policy that actually works. Finally, we will be jointly responsible for our borders. We in the EPP Group have been pushing for a major reform of the EU's migration system, and we have succeeded: we want an EU that effectively protects its borders against threats, is tough on smugglers, traffickers and crime, but at the same time treats asylum seekers fairly and with dignity.

In December 2023, the EU reached an agreement on the European Asylum and Migration Pact, one of the largest and most important legal reforms of the current legislative period. Last week's final vote on the Pact's reforms fulfils the Institution's commitment to adopt the reforms by the end of the legislature in time for the European elections.

The new Asylum and Migration Pact introduces a comprehensive approach to the management of migration and asylum while upholding the principle of solidarity and fair sharing of responsibility between Member States. This is precisely why this agreement is so important. We will share responsibility for controlling the external border and providing humane protection to those who genuinely need it. For the first time, a clear distinction will be made upon arrival at the European external border: people who are likely to be granted asylum will enter the regular procedure, while applicants with a lower chance of being granted international protection, such as those coming from safe third countries, will be required to remain in reception facilities at the external border and be subject to an accelerated procedure.

The new Asylum and Migration Pact introduces a comprehensive approach to the management of migration and asylum while upholding the principle of solidarity and fair sharing of responsibility between Member States. This is precisely why this agreement is so important. We will share responsibility for controlling the external border and providing humane protection to those who genuinely need it.

The latter group will no longer be allowed to travel to other European countries. Mandatory screening on arrival through an identity, safety, and health check will immediately determine who will undergo which procedure. This will provide immediate assistance to those who need it and faster procedures for those who have no right to stay and must be returned. Taking back control of migration means that it is no longer the traffickers who decide who has access to European territory but the Member States themselves.

Taking back control of migration means that it is no longer the traffickers who decide who has access to European territory but the Member States themselves.

Mandatory solidarity will become the norm. Member States can contribute in various ways, for example, by voluntarily accepting asylum seekers or making financial or material contributions. An annual analysis will be carried out by the new solidarity mechanism, which will also take into account Member States' capacities. In this way, we are committed to helping those in need while also considering what we as a society can cope with across Europe.

This reform is a necessary and historic step, but it alone is not enough. An effective asylum and migration policy also depends on reducing the influx of irregular arrivals, promoting an effective return and readmission policy to countries of origin, and foreseeing accessible legal pathways for legal migration that benefit Europe and the countries of origin. This means continuing to invest in countries of origin and transit, especially in (North) African countries, where the vast majority of future migration will come from, but also linking all relevant EU policies, instruments, and tools, including trade agreements, development aid, legal migration, and visa policy to third country cooperation in the fields of migration, return and readmission. Now that the Pact is finally here, the focus should be on rapid and full implementation and cooperation with countries outside Europe to address this common challenge.