Olivia Sundberg Diez, EU Advocate on Migration and Asylum at Amnesty International, has criticized recent agreements between the European Parliament and Council on new EU asylum rules, describing them as a serious attack on the foundation of refugee protection. She emphasized that these changes occur within a broader context of punitive deportation measures still under negotiation and represent an attempt to bypass the EU’s international legal obligations. According to Diez, the agreements shift the responsibility for refugee protection to countries outside Europe and fall short of a humane migration policy that respects the dignity of asylum seekers.
The revisions to the ‘safe third country’ concept mean that people seeking asylum in the EU could have their applications rejected without proper review. As a result, asylum seekers might be sent to countries with which they have no connection and may have never visited. Diez warned that the agreements signal the EU’s retreat from its commitment to refugee protection and could enable member states to broker arrangements with third countries for offshore processing of asylum claims.
The new rules also introduce an EU-wide list of ‘safe countries of origin,’ requiring asylum seekers to prove that they need protection despite being from a country deemed safe. This measure undermines individualized assessment of protection claims and adds further legal hurdles, increasing the likelihood that vulnerable people will be denied the safety they need.
On 18 December, the European Parliament and Council formally agreed on amendments to the EU Asylum Procedures Regulation, which modify the ‘safe third country’ concept and establish the EU-wide ‘safe countries of origin’ list. These rules will make it easier for member states to reject asylum applications as inadmissible without examining their merits and to transfer asylum seekers to countries with which they have little or no connection. The new regulations are set to take effect from June 2026, alongside other measures under the Pact on Migration and Asylum.
The EU-wide list of safe countries of origin includes Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, Kosovo, India, Morocco, Tunisia, and EU accession candidate countries, with some exceptions. Nationals from these countries will be presumed not to require protection and will be subject to accelerated asylum procedures, limiting the scope for individualized assessment of their claims. Provisions allowing the expansion of ‘safe countries of origin’ designations may be applied immediately.
