The European Parliament approves tightening restrictions on asylum

Today, the European Parliament approved amendments to the asylum system in the European Union, which pave the way for accelerating procedures for rejecting asylum applications and the possibility of deporting asylum seekers to countries with which they have little connection.
The text of the amendments, which requires final formal approval from the governments of the 27 European Union member states, represents a significant tightening of the bloc’s migration policy, which has been shaped by the influx of more than a million refugees and migrants in 2015 and 2016.
This move sparked strong criticism from human rights groups who said it could lead to human rights violations and reduce asylum rights guaranteed under a 1951 convention that prohibits the return of asylum seekers to countries where they might be exposed to danger.
The European Parliament approved amendments to the Asylum Procedures Regulations to introduce a list of countries considered “safe” to which rejected asylum seekers can be returned. Under the new regulations, European Union countries may reject an asylum application if the applicant can obtain protection in a country that the Union considers safe.
The new rules will also allow EU countries to establish “repatriation centres” outside the bloc, such as the one Italy established in Albania.
“These changes stem from a set of rules and procedures drawn up by the European Union to deal with migration, known as the Migration Charter, which were agreed in 2023 but will not be fully implemented before June 2026.”