Egypt Daily News – The European Commission on Wednesday adopted a list of seven countries it considers “safe countries of origin,” including three Arab nations—Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia—alongside Kosovo, Bangladesh, Colombia, and India. The move is part of a new policy aimed at speeding up the processing of asylum applications and the deportation of rejected applicants.
According to French media, the list is intended to address the high number of asylum requests from nationals of these countries. The Commission clarified that labeling a country as “safe” does not mean asylum claims will be automatically rejected, but that cases will be processed more quickly, with rejected applicants subject to faster deportation procedures.
EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson stated in a press conference that “accelerating and improving the efficiency of asylum procedures is a key goal of the European Pact on Migration and Asylum,” noting that this step aligns with the implementation of the pact agreed upon last year.
Previously, EU countries had varying standards for determining which countries were considered safe, leading to a phenomenon known as “asylum shopping,” where applicants sought countries with more favorable policies. The Commission hopes that a unified list will reduce such practices.
The decision is currently under review by the European Parliament and EU member states. It is expected to spark debate among European governments. Italy has welcomed the list, while France opted not to participate in the initial consultations.
The Commission had previously attempted to introduce a similar list in 2015, but the effort failed due to disagreements, particularly over the inclusion of Turkey. This latest move comes amid growing political pressure across Europe to tighten migration controls, driven in part by the rise of right-wing parties.
The new mechanism is expected to reduce asylum processing times and streamline deportation procedures, as part of a broader EU strategy to reform the bloc’s asylum system.
In a related development, the spokesperson for Egypt’s Armed Forces announced that the European Union has delivered modern “SAR-1700” rescue boats to Egypt. The handover took place under a joint cooperation program between Egypt, the EU, and the International Organization for Migration, according to a statement shared on social media.
