EU migration overhaul takes effect on Friday

Europe’s new Migration and Asylum Pact enters its final phase on 12 June, bringing into force a major overhaul of the bloc’s migration and asylum system.

First adopted in 2024, the pact will overhaul the EU’s migration and asylum system by introducing faster asylum decisions, mandatory solidarity between member states, and controversial return hubs.

The pact aims to speed up the process through mandatory border screening, which will decide whether applicants enter the asylum system or are moved towards return. It will also use ‘safe country’ rules, allowing some applications to be fast-tracked or rejected as inadmissible depending on their country of origin.

The pact also introduces a mandatory solidarity system, requiring all EU countries to contribute when other member states face migration pressure, either by taking in migrants, contributing to an EU fund, or providing practical support.

The return procedure for rejected asylum seekers has proved controversial and raised human rights concerns, particularly over the introduction of “return hubs” outside the EU, where migrants will be held until they are repatriated. The hubs are expected to be set up through agreements with third countries, similar to an arrangement Italy has with Albania.

If a migrant’s country of origin refuses to accept their return, the new rules allow them to be deported to a country they passed through, or to another country with which a return agreement exists. The pact also increases detention periods for those who resist deportation to up to two years.

The pact does not eliminate the right to seek asylum, nor does it create a single EU authority responsible for all asylum applications. National systems will remain responsible for processing claims under the new rules.

According to the European Commission, the pact gives the EU its first comprehensive migration and asylum framework, built around stronger external border protection, fair but firm asylum rules, and a balance between solidarity and responsibility.

“Migration is a European challenge which must be met with a European solution that is effective, fair and firm,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. “This is what the Pact on Migration and Asylum delivers.”

The push for an updated migration policy was driven by the shortcomings exposed during the 2015 migration crisis, when the Dublin Regulation placed responsibility for asylum applications on the first EU member state an asylum seeker entered.

The previous system contributed to the secondary movement problem, leaving frontline states such as Malta, Greece and Italy to shoulder a disproportionate share of responsibility, while destination countries called for stricter controls.

The EU has also faced persistently low return rates, with only around 20% of rejected asylum seekers being repatriated. Several member states say this has placed further strain on social services, housing, and already overloaded asylum systems. This made migration a top electoral issue, and reform unavoidable.

Several European countries once seen as relatively open to migration, including Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland and Ireland, have recently moved toward stricter asylum rules, faster returns and tighter border controls. 

As of 12 June, the Commission confirmed that the new rules will be fully applicable, allowing member states to apply them in practice.

The European Commission said the complex reforms will require significant legal and operational work, giving member states time to adapt to the new procedures over the coming months.

The commission also said it will continue working with member states and international partners, including countries of origin and transit, while strengthening migration diplomacy and ensuring the EU can attract the skills needed to boost economic competitiveness.