EU announces breakthrough in asylum reform negotiations

The asylum system in the EU is being fundamentally reformed. After years of discussions, representatives of the EU member states and the European Parliament agree on corresponding legal texts. The aim is to curb illegal migration.

The asylum system in the EU is being fundamentally reformed. After years of discussions, representatives of the EU member states and the European Parliament finally agreed on the corresponding legal texts, as announced by the Spanish Council Presidency and the EU Commission. Numerous tightening of the existing rules are planned. The aim is to curb irregular migration. The agreement still has to be confirmed by the plenary of the European Parliament and the EU member states. This is normally a formality.

In future, there are to be uniform border procedures at the EU's external borders. In particular, there are plans to deal much more harshly with people from countries that are considered relatively safe. Until a decision is made on the asylum application, people are to be housed in detention-like conditions in reception camps.

According to the plans, the distribution of those seeking protection among the EU states will be newly regulated with a "solidarity mechanism": If countries do not want to take in refugees, they must provide support, for example in the form of monetary payments. Rejected asylum seekers are to be deported to safe third countries more easily in future.

Refugee numbers have been high for years

The reform has been the subject of intensive work since the 2015/2016 refugee crisis. Back then, countries such as Greece were overwhelmed by the immense number of people from countries such as Syria and hundreds of thousands were able to move on to other EU countries unregistered. This should not have happened because, according to the so-called Dublin Regulation, asylum seekers should be registered where they first entered the European Union.

As a result, the EU Commission first proposed new rules back in 2016. However, the negotiations proved to be very tough until the end. While countries such as Hungary did not find the proposals tough enough, aid organizations and sections of the left and the Greens expressed concerns that human rights were not being sufficiently respected in asylum procedures.