The European Union has implemented a new set of rules governing how each of its 27 member states will deal with irregular migration and asylum seekers. The European Migration and Asylum Pact is the culmination of years of negotiations that overhauled the previous system, which was widely considered a failure and gave far-right parties a potent issue to win votes.

Key Provisions of the Pact

Under the new rules, foreigners will be screened at EU borders for up to seven days before they are admitted in line with a common procedure. Asylum seekers deemed to pose a security threat or from countries listed as safe by the EU will go through faster asylum procedures of three months instead of six. Some applicants may be kept at the border while their cases are processed. They will be given only one chance to appeal a rejected application.

The European Commission says some member states still need to implement a new biometric database called Eurodac that will register and store information of adults and children as young as 6. Many more countries need to set up border facilities to handle screening, asylum processing, and detentions. Work also is needed to ensure there is independent rights monitoring at the border, the commission said.

Swiftly Returning Rejected Asylum Seekers

One of the pillars of the new pact is to speed up voluntary and forced returns of rejected asylum seekers by automatically issuing return orders when an application is rejected. A clear political priority of the center and far-right politicians who swept to power in 2024 across the EU is that returnees are slated to be sent to countries deemed safe like Syria and Bangladesh.

The European Agency for Asylum said there were about 802,000 pending first-time asylum applications in March. Member states also are working with EU lawmakers to allow for the creation of return hubs in third countries where they can send rejected asylum seekers who can’t be repatriated.

Sharing the Burden Between Member Nations

Among the most contentious issues that has divided EU countries was sharing responsibility for asylum seekers, especially in times of crisis. Because migrants must apply for asylum in the first EU country they enter, front-line countries along the Mediterranean like Greece and Italy have long complained they bear the weight of irregular arrivals.

The new pact includes a solidarity mechanism to ensure border countries aren’t left on their own. Other EU members will either take in a share of asylum seekers or offer financial support to compensate. Countries can also offset their share if they receive migrants through secondary movements, meaning when a migrant arrives in one country and moves on to another.

Human rights advocates have criticized the new rules, arguing they undermine the right to seek asylum by rushing assessments. They say accelerated procedures introduce racial profiling while denying international protection to applicants with legitimate claims, and they warn of an expected spike in prolonged detentions at EU borders.

Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.