The European Union on Wednesday published a list of seven countries it considers “safe”, aiming to hasten the deportation of migrants and curb what it deems unmeritorious asylum claims.
The move is part of a broader effort to toughen migration controls amid mounting political pressure and a rightward shift in public sentiment across several member states.
The draft list includes Bangladesh, India, Kosovo, Colombia, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia, reports the AFP.
It must be approved by both the European Parliament and member states before it can be enforced.
EU governments would then be allowed to presume asylum applications from citizens of these nations are unlikely to succeed, thereby expediting processing times.
The European Commissioner for Migration, Magnus Brunner, said the policy was crucial in tackling the growing backlog of asylum claims: “Many member states are facing a significant backlog of asylum applications, so anything we can do now to support faster asylum decisions is essential.”
However, human rights groups have condemned the proposal, warning that it risks undermining the fundamental right to seek asylum.
“Anyone who applies for protection in the EU should have their individual claim assessed fully and on its own merits — regardless of where they are fleeing from,” said Meron Ameha Knikman of the International Rescue Committee, describing the move as part of a “broader trend towards deterrence and hollowing out refugee rights”.
Critics argue that the inclusion of countries such as Egypt and Tunisia — both of which have documented human rights abuses — calls into question the integrity of the list.
The European Commission acknowledged concerns, noting that while political repression exists in these states, the general population does not face systemic persecution.
The Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights called the move “a flagrant violation of a fundamental human right, the right to asylum, as an individual right”.
This is not the EU’s first attempt at such a policy.
A similar initiative in 2015 was shelved due to internal disputes over the inclusion of Turkey. The new list, which is subject to expansion and regular review, has been drawn up based on the volume of asylum applications currently being filed from these countries.
EU clarified that asylum applications would still undergo individual assessments and that existing legal safeguards would remain in place.
While member states may add to the EU list, they will not be allowed to remove countries from it.
The announcement comes amid a significant drop in irregular border crossings into the EU — down 38% to 239,000 in 2024, according to Frontex, the bloc’s border agency.
Nonetheless, deportation rates remain low, with fewer than 20% of those ordered to leave actually returned to their countries of origin.
In October, EU leaders, including Italy, Denmark and the Netherlands, called for urgent legislative reform to accelerate returns and explore “innovative” strategies to curb irregular migration.
Last month, the Commission floated proposals for overhauling the EU’s return system, including the potential establishment of migrant return centres outside the bloc.
Italy’s Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi hailed the latest development as “a success for the Italian government”.
However, rights advocates remain deeply sceptical, warning that the policy sacrifices human dignity for bureaucratic expediency.
