The European Parliament approved amendments to the asylum system that allow for the adoption of a list of safe countries, the deportation of asylum seekers to them, and the establishment of repatriation centers outside the bloc, in a move that human rights organizations described as a threat to human rights, which reflects the escalation of policies against receiving immigrants over the past ten years, thus enhancing popular support for far-right parties.
Published on: 02/11/2026 - 00:57
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On Tuesday, the European Parliament approved amendments to the asylum system within the Union, paving 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 requires final official approval from the governments of the 27 European Union member states. It represents a significant tightening of the bloc's migration policy, which has taken shape since the influx of more than a million refugees and migrants in 2015 and 2016.
This step reflects the escalation of anti-migrant policies over the past ten years, which has strengthened popular support for far-right parties.
This step was subjected to harsh criticism from human rights groups, who warned that it could lead to human rights violations and reduce asylum rights guaranteed under a convention dating back to 1951 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. The list includes countries such as Egypt and Tunisia whose human rights records are subject to scrutiny.
"The European Union is abandoning its commitment to protecting refugees"
Under the new regulations, European Union countries can reject an asylum request if the applicant can obtain protection in a country that the Union considers safe.
The French Green Party MP, Melissa Camara, said: “The text on safe countries of origin will expose hundreds of thousands of people to very dangerous situations. Third countries will be considered safe despite the extremely worrying human rights situation in them.”
In turn, Olivia Sundberg Diez, European Union Advocacy Officer for Migration and Asylum Affairs at Amnesty International, said: “Today’s vote will lead to the rejection of asylum applications in the bloc without review, and the deportation of asylum seekers to countries with which they have no connection, and on whose soil they have never even set foot.”
She saw these measures as an indication "that the European Union has abandoned its commitment to protecting refugees, and paves the way for member states in the bloc to mediate agreements with third countries to consider asylum requests outside their borders."
The new rules will also allow European Union countries to establish “repatriation centers” outside the bloc, such as the one Italy established in Albania.
France 24/Reuters
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