After nearly a decade of negotiation and debate, the European Union’s European Migration and Asylum Pact officially went into effect on June 12. This pact is considered the most significant immigration system reform in the EU since the refugee crisis of 2015, aiming to unify asylum review standards, expedite return procedures, and establish a mechanism for member states to share the pressure of immigration.
Supporters argue that this pact will help restore border order, while human rights groups are concerned that the new rules may weaken the rights of asylum seekers, leading to controversy from the outset of its implementation.
In 2015, over one million refugees and migrants flooded into Europe, exposing various flaws in the EU’s existing system. Under the previous regulations, the country where immigrants first arrived was responsible for processing their asylum applications, placing heavy burdens on Mediterranean countries like Italy, Greece, and Spain, while other member states were reluctant to share the responsibility.
Over the following years, the immigration issue became one of the most contentious political topics in Europe, prompting the EU to seek a new immigration framework. The core objective of the new pact is to strengthen border control, establish a more unified and expedited asylum system, and require member states to collectively bear the pressure of immigration through a new “solidarity mechanism.”
According to the new rules, all individuals illegally entering the EU will undergo a 7-day border screening process, including identity verification, security background checks, and biometric data collection, before entering according to a unified procedure. Applicants from countries with lower asylum approval rates will undergo an accelerated review process and have their asylum applications processed within border facilities; those whose applications are rejected can be expedited into the return process.
Hans Laiten, Executive Director of the EU border and coast guard agency Frontex, stated, “The agreement will merge 27 different processing methods into one.”
Additionally, the EU aims to increase the rate of returns for rejected asylum seekers through faster procedures and cooperation with third countries. Asylum seekers will have a 3-month expedited asylum procedure instead of 6 months. Some applicants may be detained at the border during the processing of their cases and will only have one opportunity for appeal if their application is rejected.
Furthermore, member states are cooperating with EU legislators to allow the establishment of “return centers” in third countries, to which rejected asylum applicants who cannot be returned will be sent.
Another significant reform of the pact is the establishment of a mechanism for sharing responsibilities among member states. When front-line countries like Italy and Greece face pressures from immigration influxes, other EU member states must support them by receiving some asylum seekers, providing funds, manpower, or other assistance.
Supporters believe that the new system will help restore border management order, reduce case backlogs, and prevent a handful of front-line countries from bearing the burden of immigration alone. EU officials stated that this is a common system that balances “responsibility and solidarity,” formally incorporating “shared responsibility” into the entire EU immigration system for the first time.
On the other hand, some member states such as Poland and Hungary still oppose EU-level responsibility-sharing arrangements, arguing that immigration policies should be determined by individual countries. Therefore, although the pact has officially taken effect, its ability to be uniformly implemented among the 27 member states in the future remains in question.
The European Commission also noted that many countries need to establish border facilities to handle screenings, asylum applications, and detention matters. Additionally, it is necessary to ensure independent human rights monitoring in border areas.
Human rights advocates warn that these new regulations could exacerbate the difficulties faced by asylum seekers seeking safety within the EU.
Human rights groups criticize that the new rules may lead to more asylum seekers being detained in border facilities, the shortened processing procedures potentially affecting applicants’ legal protections, and pushing the EU further towards the direction of “Fortress Europe.”
Judith Sunderland, Senior Refugee and Migrant Rights Advocate at Human Rights Watch, expressed that the new rules “shut the door on people who should be treated with respect and have a fair hearing.”
Lukas Gehrke, Head of the International Organization for Migration in Brussels, stated that while the EU is intensifying deportation efforts, it should provide more, not fewer, integration program funds for the millions of legal immigrants residing in the EU.
(Reference: Associated Press)