The European Parliament voted Tuesday to allow member states to deport migrants to “safe” third countries, even if those migrants did not arrive in the EU from those nations, a move rights groups immediately condemned as a blow to asylum protections. The legislation passed with 396 votes in favor and 226 against, signaling a significant hardening of the EU’s migration policy, according to reports from Al Jazeera.
The new rules permit EU states to return asylum seekers to countries they merely transited through, provided those nations are deemed to respect “international standards” for migrant treatment. Crucially, the legislation also enables deportation to “safe” third countries with which an EU member state has no prior agreement, if a bilateral accord is reached. The UK’s Guardian newspaper reported on this provision, which expands the scope of potential deportation destinations.
The vote comes amid a broader shift in European politics, with anti-immigration sentiment gaining traction and bolstering support for far-right parties. Amnesty International’s EU Advocate on Migration and Asylum, Olivia Sundberg Diez, characterized the decision as “a very dark day for human rights in the EU,” stating that it represents “an attack on the right to asylum” and a capitulation to a decades-long effort to erode human rights protections for migrants and asylum seekers. Diez warned that the policy could lead to individuals being deported to countries where they have no connections and risk mistreatment.
The legislation builds upon a policy framework established following the 2015-16 refugee and migrant influx, which saw over one million people arrive in Europe. The new rules are expected to take effect in June, pending final formal approval from the 27 EU member governments. Amnesty International also highlighted the introduction of an EU-wide list of “safe countries of origin,” which places the onus on asylum seekers to demonstrate otherwise, further complicating the asylum process.
The European Parliament’s vote on February 10th followed a vote on February 9th, with results available on the European Parliament’s website. Votes are scheduled to continue on February 11th and 12th, though the specific topics of those votes were not immediately available. Meanwhile, in Portugal, a leftist candidate is projected to win the presidential election, defeating a candidate from the surging far-right party Chega, according to the New York Times, a development occurring concurrently with the EU’s vote but without a clear connection to the migration policy decision.
