Our MEP in the LIBE Committee Milan Uhrik made the following statement:
“For more than a decade, misguided ideological choices have fuelled chaos, abuse of asylum systems and a loss of control over Europe’s borders. Only now, under the pressure of rising national-conservative forces across Europe, is the EU starting—slowly and reluctantly—to undo some of its worst mistakes.For the first time, a common European list of Safe Countries of Origin has been established, allowing Member States to process and reject clearly unfounded asylum applications more quickly. The initial list includes Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, India, Kosovo, Morocco and Tunisia.
In parallel, the reform of the Safe Third Country concept makes it possible, for the first time, to return illegal migrants to return hubs located outside the European Union, significantly strengthening the effectiveness of returns and reducing procedural abuse.These advances were achieved despite fierce opposition from the Socialists, Greens, Communists and Liberals, who fought relentlessly to block any meaningful tightening of migration rules. Thanks to the decisive votes of the ESN Group, a new working majority made these first corrective steps possible.
While these measures do not go far enough, they represent a clear change of direction. ESN will continue to push for a far more robust approach, including an expanded list of safe countries and faster, more effective returns, in order to finally put an end to the asylum chaos created by the European left.”
