THE EUROPEAN UNION APPROVES TWO KEY REGULATIONS TO COMPLETE THE MIGRATION PACKAGE

This week, the European Union approved two fundamental regulations to complete the European migration and asylum package, with only the returns regulation still pending. Both texts were adopted following agreements between the Council, the Commission, and the European Parliament: the first was concluded in the early hours of Wednesday, and the second on Thursday morning, after more than fourteen hours of intense negotiations. Member of the European Parliament Javier Zarzalejos took an active part in both processes in his capacity as Chair of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE).

One of the regulations clarifies the concept of a “safe third country,” allowing Member States to declare inadmissible the asylum applications of individuals who have transited through a non-EU country considered safe, even without a personal connection to that country. Zarzalejos stressed that the new rule provides legal coherence and flexibility to Member States, removes obstacles that had slowed procedures, and strengthens the effectiveness of the asylum system in addressing irregular migration.

The second regulation establishes a common European list of safe countries of origin, which will allow asylum applications from those countries to be processed more swiftly. Zarzalejos highlighted that these measures speed up the implementation of the Migration Pact and reinforce the objective of increasing returns of those who have no right to remain in the European Union, stressing that this represents a decisive step toward ensuring a credible, firm, and rule-of-law-compliant asylum system.