The EU-wide agreement introduces stricter border controls, faster case processing, expanded digital tools to track asylum applications, and increased deportations. It was adopted in 2024 with a two-year implementation period.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the pact as “fair and firm” and said it would deliver “more secure external borders, solidarity between member states and more efficient procedures for asylum and return”.
It is the EU’s primary collective response to demands for change that have grown since 2015, when more than a million people arrived in Europe seeking asylum, mostly Syrians fleeing civil war and crossing the continent on foot.
However, levels of preparedness vary across the 27 EU member states, raising questions about how quickly the overhaul will take effect and how effective it will be.
“We have to realise that nearly no member state is ready 100%. And that’s even more disappointing because it’s not that we started at zero,” said Birgit Sippel, a centre-left German EU lawmaker.
Member states are still struggling to implement the complex new rules, even as a tougher stance on migration is likely to be a key issue in election campaigns in France, Greece, Italy, Poland and Spain next year.
“The political centre of gravity has already shifted significantly rightward over the past decade,” said Roberto Forin of the Mixed Migration Centre (MMC), a research organisation that collects data along migration routes.
“Each election cycle risks normalising positions that would have been considered extreme not long ago.”
FALSE DICHOTOMY
Some critics argue the reforms rely too heavily on deterrence and overlook the root causes of migration, including conflict, poverty and political repression.
Forin cited a survey conducted by his group last year involving more than 4,000 migrants along Mediterranean routes. It found that 64% were undeterred by EU and national policies, while fewer than 1% said they had abandoned their plans because of policy measures.
“The debate has been trapped in a false dichotomy … as if the only way to demonstrate control is to restrict and deter,” he said.
The pact introduces a new “solidarity mechanism” requiring EU member states receiving fewer asylum applications either to accept relocations or provide financial contributions or operational support to countries receiving larger numbers of arrivals.
However, critics say it lacks strong enforcement mechanisms, relying instead on political pressure that could fuel tensions among member states.
Member states are keen to keep arrivals low despite easing migration pressures. EU data show irregular arrivals fell 26% last year to their lowest level since 2021, while asylum applications also declined.
“I would expect member states to do everything they can to keep arrivals, and pressure on their asylum systems, low to reduce the risk that the rules are put to the test too early,” said Alberto Horst Neidhardt, senior policy analyst at the European Policy Centre.
European countries are also keen to establish centres outside the bloc where failed asylum seekers can be deported.
The European Commission says it is supporting implementation with fresh funding and has proposed a €6.34 billion ($6.8 billion) budget for migration, border management and internal security in the next seven-year budget to help roll out the reforms.
The pact includes safeguards aimed at protecting the rights of vulnerable groups.
However, rights groups and analysts warn that the new framework limits access to asylum and weakens protections. The expanded use of detention could keep asylum seekers in custody for several months and may restrict their access to services and rights.
“Our fear is that bad law, coupled with an unwillingness to enforce standards, leads to a continuation of this race to the bottom,” said Minos Mouzourakis, a lawyer at Greece-based non-profit Refugee Support Aegean.
