The European Union’s new Migration and Asylum Pact enters into force on 12 June, ushering in the most significant reform of the bloc’s migration framework in years and placing renewed emphasis on balancing solidarity among member states with greater responsibility in managing migration.
Adopted in May 2024 after years of negotiations, the Pact introduces a common set of rules aimed at strengthening external border controls, streamlining asylum procedures and improving the return of individuals who do not qualify for international protection.
Central to this reform is a new solidarity mechanism requiring all member states to contribute to migration management. Countries will be able to choose from a range of measures, including relocating asylum seekers, making financial contributions or providing operational and technical support to member states facing disproportionate migratory pressures.
Speaking at a press briefing at the European Parliament, Swedish MEP Tomas Tobé described the element of solidarity as a cornerstone of the agreement.
“We do need to ease the burden on countries under pressure,” he said, stressing that solidarity must be accompanied by responsibility. According to Tobé, the Pact establishes an important foundation for a more coordinated European approach to migration.
The issue of responsibility was also highlighted by German MEP Birgit Sippel, who noted that responsibility for asylum applications has always rested with individual member states. However, she argued that the EU previously lacked sufficient trust and clarity regarding which country should handle applications. She described the agreement as a significant achievement, saying it demonstrated that a broad majority of member states and the European Parliament had found common ground on one of Europe’s most contentious policy areas.
Nevertheless, Sippel expressed concern that many countries are still not fully prepared for implementation despite having had two years to prepare. She also emphasised the importance of safeguarding fundamental rights, ensuring access for NGOs and maintaining legal protections for asylum seekers throughout the process.
Among the most notable changes introduced by the Pact are mandatory screening procedures at the EU’s external borders. These checks will verify identities, assess security risks and determine whether individuals should enter the asylum system or be returned to their country of origin. Border procedures will also allow authorities to process certain unfounded asylum applications more quickly.
The Pact further introduces provisions allowing asylum procedures to be transferred to safe third countries under specific conditions and establishes a framework for identifying safe countries of origin, helping authorities process applications more efficiently.
Another major development is the expansion of information-sharing systems across the EU. Spanish MEP Jorge Buxadé Villalba highlighted the creation of a more comprehensive European database incorporating biometric and identity data. He argued that the system would help prevent fraud, reduce multiple asylum applications in different countries and facilitate the return of irregular migrants, provided member states invest in the necessary technological infrastructure.
As the Pact begins to apply across the European Union, attention will now shift from legislation to implementation. While supporters view the reforms as a long-awaited compromise between solidarity and responsibility, several MEPs argued that the effectiveness of the new framework will ultimately depend on how successfully member states translate the rules into practice.
Migration remains a significant challenge for the European Union, with Eurostat reporting 912,000 first-time asylum applications in 2024, making it one of the highest annual totals recorded in recent years. Including repeat applications, the total number of asylum requests lodged across the EU approached one million. While the figure marked a decline from the previous year, it continued to place considerable pressure on member states’ asylum systems, particularly those at the EU’s external borders. Germany, Spain, Italy, France and Greece together accounted for more than four-fifths of all first-time applications, highlighting the uneven distribution of migratory pressures across the bloc.
Despite a decline in overall migration figures in some categories, the issue has returned to the political forefront amid renewed far-right mobilisation and a series of high-profile violent incidents, including the recent knife attack in Belfast in which a man was left with severe injuries during a brutal street stabbing that triggered unrest, as well as the murder of 18-year-old British student Henry Nowak in Southampton, who was fatally stabbed after his attacker falsely claimed he had been the victim of a racist assault, fuelling widespread debate over policing, immigration, and community tensions.
MEPs also called on Hungary to fully align with the EU’s Migration and Asylum Pact, noting that under the new government led by Prime Minister Péter Magyar, Budapest is expected to adopt a more pragmatic approach compared to the previous administration under Viktor Orbán, which had strongly opposed mandatory relocation mechanisms and refused to participate in the EU’s solidarity scheme. While the previous government argued that the Pact undermined national sovereignty and rejected quota-based redistribution, the current administration has signalled it will engage with EU migration rules, even if it maintains a firm stance on border protection and controlled migration. EU lawmakers stressed that Hungary’s participation is essential for the Pact to function effectively across the bloc. MEP Tobé said that Magyar’s position was not so different from that of other Prime Ministers and while some further discussions were needed, he saw no major risks to the implementation of the plan.
