EU proposes huge migration change – and UK could learn a lesson

By Max Parry, News Reporter

A small boat crossing the English Channel (Image: Getty)

The European Commission has proposed a change to the concept of "safe third countries", which would allow the EU to transfer illegal immigrants to countries outside the bloc without hearing asylum applications.

The proposed changes, tabled on Tuesday, would see non-EU asylum seekers moved to a third country considered "safe", where they would then be able to apply for international protection – in a scheme echoing the UK's Rwanda policy.

A migrant dinghy is thrown a rope by UK Border Force (Image: Getty)

Under the current rules, EU states can transfer asylum seekers to safe third countries, so long as the third country is deemed to meet "international standards" of treatment. However, the rules also require the asylum seeker to have some connection to the third country, be that a previous stay or the presence of some family members there.

The EU Commission is now proposing to amend that by giving "more flexibility" to member states when determining how they define a "third safe country".

A connection between the applicant and the safe third country will no longer be mandatory for the transfer to be lawful and member states will be permitted to designate the safe countries asylum seekers are sent to.

Ursula von der Leyen's European Commission has proposed changes to 'third safe country' status (Image: Getty)

The proposed changes to the rules will be heard by the European Parliament and the European Council, before both bodies work with European Commission to agree on a common text which will eventually become law.

The European People’s Party, the European Parliament's largest group, said that the proposal "sends the right message" and "is a crucial step towards creating an efficient, manageable, and fair asylum system", according to a press release by German MEP Lena Düpont.

However, the changes are expected to be slammed by the European Parliament's more left-leaning forces.

Olivia Sundberg Diez, Amnesty International’s EU advocate on migration and asylum, said: "This revision would only further weaken access to asylum in Europe, downgrade people’s rights, and increase the risk of refoulement and of widespread arbitrary detention in third countries."