The European Parliament has approved two landmark reforms that significantly harden the European Union’s migration and asylum policy, marking a rare alliance between centre-right, conservative, and right-wing forces.
In a vote on Tuesday, February 10th, MEPs adopted changes that will make it easier for EU member states to reject asylum applications and deport failed applicants more quickly.
Central to the reforms is the introduction of a common EU list of safe countries of origin, including Kosovo, Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, India, Morocco, and Tunisia. Nationals of these countries will face accelerated procedures and, in many cases, swift returns.
The legislation also strengthens the ‘safe third country’ concept, allowing asylum seekers to be transferred to countries outside the EU deemed safe, even if they did not travel through them.
Italy has already sought to pioneer this approach through migrant centres in Albania, although those facilities have largely remained empty due to legal challenges.
Supporters argue the measures respond to public concerns after nearly one million people applied for asylum in the EU last year, with around 440,000 granted protection.
The vote was notable for the coalition behind it. The centre-right-liberal European People’s Party (EPP), which often aligns with left-leaning groups, teamed up with conservative groups to its right: the Patriots for Europe (PfE), the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), and the Europe of Sovereign Nations (ESN).
Italian ECR MEP Alessandro Ciriani said, “For too long, EU migration policy has been trapped in ideological polarisation that prevented concrete solutions. Europe is now opting for a more realistic and responsible approach.”
Right-wing groups hailed the outcome as a turning point. Patriots for Europe declared:
Our objective is clear: protect our borders and our security. Patriots for Europe stands for a firm, fair migration policy that honors the will of Europe’s peoples.
PfE leader Jordan Bardella wrote on social media: “This is a first setback inflicted on the EU’s immigration-obsessed ideas, but we are continuing the fight.”
Unsurprisingly, human rights advocates and Green politicians were sharply critical.
Green MEP Melissa Camara called the vote “another step in the dehumanisation of the European Union’s migration policy,” while her colleague Tineke Strik said: “The adoption of these proposals is the latest piece of proof that the far right is in the driving seat of [Commission President Ursula] von der Leyen’s migration agenda.”
The measures now require final formal approval from the 27 member states before entering into force.
