The member states of the European Union(EU), along with the EU Parliament, have reached consensus on a substantial overhaul of the European asylum system, introducing notably more rigorous asylum procedures.
The compromise announced on Wednesday, the result of painstaking negotiations, includes various additions and enhancements to the current rules aimed at decreasing irregular migration to the European Union.
“It’s been a long road to get here. But we made it. Europe is finally delivering on migration,” said European Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas on X, describing the deal as a “breakthrough.”
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said Wednesday “will go down in history. The day the EU reached a landmark agreement on a new set of rules to manage migration and asylum.”
The overhaul has been under thorough consideration since 2015, a period marked by a notable influx of migrants into the EU.
While nations governed by right-wing parties, such as Hungary, advocated strongly for the reinforcement of current regulations, humanitarian organizations and the political left in Europe voiced apprehensions regarding potential human rights degradation.