EU Identifies Seven "Safe" Countries to Expedite Asylum Claims

In an effort to streamline asylum applications, the EU has classified seven nations—including Kosovo and India—as safe countries. This move aims to expedite processing but raises concerns among human rights advocates regarding the implications for migrants from these regions.

The European Union (EU) has officially recognized seven countries—Kosovo, Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, India, Morocco, and Tunisia—as "safe" nations of origin in a bid to accelerate asylum applications. Citizens from these countries will experience expedited processing, with the assumption being that their claims are unlikely to succeed, potentially shortening the review period to just three months.

Markus Lammert from the European Commission pointed out that this list will be "dynamic," indicating it could evolve to include more countries or remove existing ones if their safety is reassessed. The decision follows a wave of irregular migrants that flooded into EU countries around 2015-2016, prompting the bloc to seek reforms in its asylum protocols.

Although a broader migration and asylum pact was agreed upon last year, it won’t fully take effect until June 2026; hence, the EU is keen on implementing preliminary rules to hasten review processes. Leaders within the union have pushed for strategies aimed at quickening the returns of migrants, particularly distressed by statistics showing that less than 20% of those ordered to leave actually returned home.

Under the newly proposed measures, EU nations can prioritize processing for applicants from these designated safe countries or those where a maximum of one in five asylum requests succeed. Importantly, nations currently pursuing EU membership will also be automatically classified as safe, though exceptions could arise for countries embroiled in conflict, such as Ukraine.

Key proponents of this initiative include Italy, which has struggled to manage a significant increase in migration since 2015. Other nations, like Germany, have imposed stricter border controls to address the current crisis. The joint list is expected to deter asylum seekers from applying in countries with more lenient regulations, enhancing the efficacy of processing claims.

Italy’s right-wing government, led by Giorgia Meloni, has celebrated the inclusion of Egypt, Bangladesh, and Tunisia among the listed nations, considering it a victory against ideological opposition. However, Italian judges previously halted the government's attempts to transfer migrants from these countries to facilities in Albania, citing that a country isn't safe if all its regions and minorities aren't protected.

The proposals are pending approval from the European Parliament and EU member countries, but they have invited criticism from various human rights organizations. EuroMed Rights, a coalition of human rights advocates, warned against labeling the seven nominated countries as safe, pointing out that they are associated with documented human rights abuses and inadequate protections for their citizens, including migrants.

In response, Lammert emphasized that the EU's legal framework necessitates thorough individual evaluations of each asylum application, reinforcing that human rights protections must remain a priority.