BRUSSELS – On Wednesday, the European Commission unveiled its inaugural list of safe countries of origin, which aims to make it more challenging for citizens from these nations to secure asylum in the EU while facilitating their return.
This initial list includes Kosovo, Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, India, Morocco, and Tunisia.
The Commission’s objective is to streamline the asylum process, as applications from these countries historically have low approval rates. Consequently, individuals from these nations will face increased obstacles in obtaining asylum in the EU, and their repatriation will be expedited.
Although some EU member states have established their own national lists of safe countries of origin, a unified European list has been absent until now. The Commission notes that the lack of harmonization has led asylum seekers to gravitate toward member states with more lenient regulations for seeking international protection. This proposal aims to address that issue.
Moreover, the Commission posits that countries aspiring to join the EU typically meet the criteria for being classified as safe countries of origin, as they work towards building stable institutions that uphold democracy, the rule of law, human rights, and the protection of minority groups.
A candidate country would only be removed from the safe countries list under specific exceptional circumstances, such as widespread violence due to conflict, sanctions imposed by the EU Council, or if the rate of asylum approvals for that country surpasses 20 percent. (April 16, 2025)
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