Strasbourg – With the European Parliament’s definitive approval of the new rules on countries of origin and safe third countries, the Union makes a turning point in the management of migration and effectively opens the way to the so-called “Albania model”.
For the first time the European Union will have a common list of countries of origin considered safe. This means that asylum applications submitted by citizens from Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, India, Kosovo, Morocco and Tunisia (the first on this list) will be processed with accelerated procedures. The underlying principle is that these countries generally offer sufficient protection against persecution and serious violations of fundamental rights.
Why it will be easier to expel migrants in Europe: the ‘Albania model’ passes
The rules will make asylum procedures quicker and repatriations easier, allowing Member States to declare applications inadmissible and transfer migrants even to safe third countries with which agreements exist, thus reducing time and pressure on national systems.
A reform which, as explained by the Fratelli d’Italia MEP Alessandro Ciriani, during a press conference on the sidelines of the vote, represents “a political turning point in the management of migration”, because “it puts an end to a period of ambiguity and traces a clear route: common rules, faster and more effective procedures and a firm approach against abuse”.
During the press conference Ciriani underlined that “a credible asylum system cannot function if those who are not eligible remain in limbo for years” and that the new rules serve to “really protect those fleeing persecution, distinguishing them from those who exploit the flaws in the system”.
In the new framework, protections for unaccompanied minors and the principle of non-refoulement remain, but the EU clearly aims to strengthen repatriations and discourage irregular immigration.
