ZARZALEJOS REAFFIRMS THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT’S COMMITMENT TO THE FULL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MIGRATION AND ASYLUM PACT

The Informal Ministerial Conference on the Migration and Asylum Pact, held in Nicosia at a crucial stage in the launch of the new European framework, brought together representatives of the Member States, the European Commission, and the European Parliament to assess the first steps in its implementation. In this context, the Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE), Javier Zarzalejos, stressed that the effective rollout of the new system is a key political priority for the Parliament during the current legislative term.

The LIBE Committee has played a particularly significant role during this transition phase towards the implementation of the Pact through a continuous monitoring and evaluation mechanism. In October 2024, the committee established a dedicated Working Group on Asylum focused on the implementation of both the Pact and the Common European Asylum System (CEAS). Since then, the group has held 22 meetings involving Council Presidencies, Member States, the European Commission, and EU agencies, thereby consolidating a stable framework for institutional dialogue and oversight of the implementation process.

In his remarks, Zarzalejos argued that the new legislative framework is based on a “comprehensive and balanced” design that combines efficiency, speed, responsibility, and solidarity. He warned that the success of the Pact depends on the full and coherent implementation of all its components, without exceptions or fragmented approaches. “No Member State can be left behind,” he stressed, highlighting the need to maintain both political and operational momentum throughout the implementation phase.

The LIBE Chair also welcomed the European Commission’s Common Implementation Plan and the role of EU agencies as essential support for Member States in deploying the new system. Among the most significant achievements, he highlighted the modernisation of the Eurodac system, the harmonisation of the list of safe countries of origin, and the recent completion of the Returns Regulation, which finalises the different stages of the European migration management framework, from pre-entry screening procedures to the enforcement of return decisions.

In conclusion, Zarzalejos delivered a message of shared responsibility, warning that any weakening of the implementation process at this stage would directly undermine the credibility of the European Union. He therefore reaffirmed the European Parliament’s commitment to the full, coherent, and sustained implementation of the Pact, based on both responsibility and solidarity among Member States.