EU Parliament Approves New Migration Pact: Faster Asylum Process, Mandatory Solidarity, and Tightened Border Controls

The European Parliament has approved a major reform of the EU's migration and asylum rules, known as the EU Asylum and Migration Pact.

The pact aims to speed up the asylum process, boost the return of irregular migrants to their home countries, and require EU member states to share responsibility for asylum seekers.

The pact is expected to come into force in two years and received opposition from some EU states, but is expected to receive full approval in April through majority voting.

Last year, over 380,000 people illegally crossed the EU's borders, the highest number since 2016.

The EU described the pact as combining "mandatory solidarity" with flexibility.

The EU is proposing new rules that will require its 27 member countries to take in thousands of migrants from frontline countries like Italy, Greece, and Spain, or provide additional funding and resources instead.

The pact also aims to process asylum claims quickly, with a maximum limit of 12 weeks, and return applicants to their home country if their claim is rejected within the same timeframe.

Asylum seekers will undergo a rigorous pre-entry screening process within seven days, including identification, health, and security checks.

The agreement also prioritizes examining asylum claims with low chances of acceptance rapidly, without admitting the applicant into EU territory.

A migration pact requiring biometric data from migrants aged six and above will be implemented, with provisions for addressing sudden influxes.

The pact has been supported by the European People's Party Group (EPP) and the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D), two major political groups in the EU, as they aim to counter right-wing opposition in upcoming parliamentary elections in June.