On Thursday, MEPs concluded an informal deal with the Council for the creation of an EU-wide list of safe countries of origin (SCO) as proposed by the Commission. Asylum requests by nationals of the listed countries – Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, Kosovo, India, Morocco and Tunisia – will be fast-tracked, with applicants having to prove that this provision should not apply to them. The designation of a third country as a SCO at EU level will be done in accordance with the conditions set out in the Asylum Procedure Regulation and the amending rules agreed today. The list can be expanded in the future under the EU’s ordinary legislative procedure.
Candidate countries
EU accession candidate countries will also be considered safe countries of origin unless relevant circumstances, such as indiscriminate violence in the context of an armed conflict, indicate otherwise. Other reasons include an EU-wide asylum recognition rate of above 20%, or economic sanctions due to actions affecting fundamental rights and freedoms. The Commission must keep the European Parliament informed in such cases.
Suspension and national lists
The Commission will monitor the situation in the countries on the list and in the candidate countries and react if circumstances change. It could temporarily decide that a country is not safe. In cases where instances of indiscriminate violence are geographically limited, for example, this decision could affect only part of the territory of the country or apply to clearly identifiable categories of persons.
Member states would still retain the possibility to designate additional safe countries of origin at national level, with the exception of those suspended from the list by the EU. In the event of a judicial review at national level, the main purpose should be to assess applicants’ individual situations. The agreed text stresses that, in accordance with the EU Treaties, the European Court of Justice is competent to rule on the validity of a designation of a third country as a safe country of origin at Union level.
Early application of certain provisions
According to the agreement, the designation of a third country as a safe third country or a safe country of origin at both EU and national level may be made with exceptions for specific parts of its territory or clearly identifiable categories of persons. These provisions could apply before the EU asylum legislation becomes applicable in June 2026. Member states would also have the possibility to begin applying accelerated border procedures for applicants whose nationality has an asylum recognition rate of under 20% as from the entry into force of the rules agreed today. The Asylum Procedure Regulation adopted in May 2024 as part of the migration and asylum pact, will apply in full from 12 June 2026.
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Rapporteur Alessandro Ciriani (ECR, Italy) said: “Today’s agreement confirms a turning point in the EU’s management of migration. This is a concrete achievement that will equip the Union with clear and binding tools to address migratory flows and pressures. The approved list – which includes, in addition to EU candidate countries, Tunisia, Egypt, India, Colombia, Bangladesh, Morocco and Kosovo – is not just a bureaucratic step, it is a practical instrument to speed up procedures, focus resources on those entitled to protection, and reduce the abuses that burden national systems. It is also a political response to excessive interpretative uncertainty that in the past has paralysed national measures essential for border control. We are sending a clear message: Europe wants enforceable rules and shared responsibility. Now this commitment must become operational: effective returns, structured cooperation with third countries, and real measures to support EU member states.”
Next steps
The agreement needs to be formally adopted by Parliament and Council before it can enter into force.
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