Overview
- Interior ministers endorsed a binding EU-wide list of safe countries of origin—Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, India, Kosovo, Bangladesh and Colombia—enabling accelerated processing while still requiring individual case assessments.
- Ministers agreed to broaden the safe third-country concept so transfers can hinge on agreements with non‑EU states even without personal ties, with unaccompanied minors excluded from such transfers.
- Completing a revised Return Directive was set as a priority to increase the number and speed of deportations across the bloc.
- An interim solidarity pool was outlined for 21,000 relocations and €420 million in contributions, while longer-term burden-sharing rules remain unsettled.
- Rights advocates and some MEPs warned the expanded third-country regime could undermine access to a substantive asylum examination.