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EU Proposes Controversial Expansion of 'Safe Third Country' Asylum Rules

New measures would allow deportation of asylum seekers to nations with no personal ties before appeals are resolved, raising human rights concerns.

Migrants line up to eat at the Las Raices migrant camp in La Laguna, on the island of Tenerife, Spain, October 27, 2024. REUTERS/Borja Suarez/File Photo
FILE - Migrants gather in an area near the Libyan-Tunisia border, as Libyan security forces and Libyan Red Cross workers distribute food aid to them on Sunday, July 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Yousef Murad, file)
EU: European drivers take to the wheel to demand action for refugees in Brussel. Amnesty International, together with other organisations, is supporting the grassroots initiative. ‘Let’s Bring Them Here’, which was set up by a group of activists in the Netherlands.
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Overview

  • The European Commission has proposed amendments to asylum regulations, allowing member states to deport rejected asylum seekers to third countries without requiring personal connections.
  • The proposal removes the suspensive effect of appeals, meaning deportations could occur before appeals are fully adjudicated.
  • Seven countries, including Bangladesh, Morocco, and Tunisia, have been designated as 'safe third countries,' despite scrutiny over their human rights records.
  • Rights groups, including Amnesty International, warn the changes undermine EU values, risk refoulement, and burden poorer nations with limited resources.
  • The amendments, part of the 2023 EU migration pact, await approval by the European Parliament and Council, with implementation expected in 2026.