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Provisional EU agreement allows rejection of asylum applications

by AI | 18.Dec 2025 | Europe in brief AI

EU’s lawmakers give preliminary green light to one of three key proposals aimed at tightening the EU’s asylum policy.

EU’s co-legislators give preliminary green light to one of three key proposals aimed at tightening the EU’s asylum policy. Photo: Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa

The EU countries and the European Parliament reached a provisional agreement on safe third countries during the night to Thursday.

This is stated by the Council of the European Union in a press release.

The safe third countries give EU countries the opportunity to reject an asylum application when asylum seekers could have sought and received international protection in a country outside the EU that is considered safe for them.

The proposal is one of three key proposals under the Danish EU presidency aimed at tightening the EU’s asylum and migration policy.

Last week, Minister for Immigration and Integration Rasmus Stoklund (S) succeeded in getting the EU countries behind the proposal.

The European Parliament has also said yes, so the agreement now only needs final approval. The Danish minister is pleased:

– Thousands of migrants drown in the Mediterranean or are abused by human smugglers who make fortunes at their expense.

– It is crucial that we take steps to stop the pull factors that sustain an unhealthy and inhumane system, says Rasmus Stoklund.

The concept of “safe third countries” at the same time opens the door to reception centers outside the EU.

Here, in theory, the EU countries will be able to send asylum seekers while their asylum applications are being processed.

This has long been a wish from the Danish side.

– During our presidency, we managed to revise the concept of “safe third country” in record time, so that member states can conclude agreements with safe third countries on asylum processing outside Europe, says Rasmus Stoklund.

Denmark has also secured the support of the EU countries for a proposal on return centers outside the EU.

They are to house rejected asylum seekers until they can be sent back to their country of origin.

According to the agreement between the EU countries, the return centers can also be the final destination if the rejected asylum seeker does not want to go home.

The departure centers must now also be agreed with the European Parliament.

The night’s agreement between the EU countries and the European Parliament on safe third countries must now be finally confirmed by both institutions before the rules enter into force.

This is expected to happen so that the new rules can be used from 12 June 2026.