EU agrees on controversial asylum reform after years of dispute

The reform of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) provides for asylum procedures directly at the EU's external borders, among other things. Germany failed with its demand to exempt families with children for humanitarian reasons. After years of dispute, the European Union wants to use the reform to learn the lessons of 2015 and 2016, when more than one million people arrived in Germany alone.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed her relief at the agreement: "It means that Europeans will decide who comes to the EU and who is allowed to stay, not human traffickers. This will protect those who are in need." Parliament President Roberta Metsola spoke of the "most important agreement" of the legislature on an issue that is of concern to citizens. UN Commissioner for Refugees Grandi congratulated the EU on the political agreement in the online service X, formerly Twitter.

The planned border procedures, which are intended to prevent migrants with little chance of being accepted from entering the EU, were particularly controversial in Germany. The Green Party leadership was subjected to massive criticism from the grassroots because of its approval of the asylum pact. They hoped for improvements from the European Parliament, but were unable to assert themselves against the member states on key points.

Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) defended the EU agreement as "urgently necessary and long overdue". However, it was also true that it was a compromise. "As Germany, we were unable to get our way on the blanket exemption of children and families from border procedures," she conceded.

Countries such as Italy, France and the Netherlands praised the compromise. Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi spoke of a "great success" and said that countries such as Italy "no longer feel alone".

The reason for this is a mandatory solidarity mechanism between the member states, with which at least 30,000 people per year are to be redistributed. Germany would theoretically have to take in around 6600 migrants, but can offset previous benefits.

Countries that are unwilling to accept migrants, such as Hungary, can also buy their way out by paying 20,000 euros per migrant. However, Budapest does not want to abide by the asylum pact: "Nobody from Brussels or anywhere else can tell us who we let in, and we flatly refuse to be punished for it," said Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto.

Human rights organizations reacted with dismay. "I am appalled: The agreement reached today is a breach of a human rights dam," said Julia Duchrow, Secretary General of Amnesty International in Germany. Felix Braunsdorf, migration expert at Doctors Without Borders, spoke of a "compromise at the expense of human rights". "It is a black day for refugee protection and for the European peace project," explained migration expert Andreas Grünewald from Bread for the World.

The German Women's Council warned of "detention-like conditions" for migrants in camps at the EU's external borders. According to the agreement, it is possible to deport asylum seekers directly from there, including to so-called safe third countries. Countries such as Italy and Austria include Tunisia and Albania.

The chairman and group leader of the European People's Party, Manfred Weber (CSU), praised the EU agreement as a "milestone" in regaining control of the borders. In contrast, harsh criticism came from the left-wing camp: MEP Cornelia Ernst (Left Party) spoke of a "historic genuflection to the right-wing populists in Europe".

The time for an agreement was pressing, as the asylum pact is intended to take the wind out of the sails of right-wing populist parties such as the AfD in the European elections at the beginning of June, as Metsola said. The member states and the European Parliament must now formally adopt the package of five legislative texts. The member states then have a two-year implementation period.