Overview
- The Commission’s first assessment, covering July 2024 to June 2025, reports a 35% fall in irregular arrivals and gauges pressure using arrivals, asylum claims, GDP and population.
- Eligibility does not trigger immediate action, as requests for financial or technical aid or relocations can only proceed once the pact is operational.
- The scheme envisages relocating at least 30,000 people per year, with a €20,000 payment or equivalent support permitted for each refused transfer.
- Brussels allows narrowly defined exemptions for countries citing substantial past reception, and Poland has already said it will not take part.
- The Commission cautions that systemic noncompliance with responsibility rules could suspend relocation obligations for partners, and it lists 12 countries at risk that will receive priority access to other EU support tools.