Overview
- The Council endorsed changes to Regulation 2024/1348 and agreed the EU’s first safe-country-of-origin list naming Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, India, Kosovo, Morocco and Tunisia, enabling accelerated procedures.
- Member States could deem claims inadmissible based on a personal link, prior transit or a processing arrangement with a third country, with unaccompanied minors exempt from the arrangement route, and press reports indicate the automatic right to remain during appeals would be removed.
- Spain, Greece, France and Portugal opposed the package, but the qualified majority threshold was reached.
- Officials said the decision creates a legal basis for Member States to set up reception centres and similar solutions with third countries as the final text now faces parliamentary scrutiny.
- Separately, ministers formally adopted the European Defence Industry Programme with €1.5 billion for 2025–2027, including €300 million for a Ukraine support instrument.