Third-world immigrants to the European Union may find themselves dispatched to ‘safe countries’ including Turkey and Georgia. Although anathema for many, Italy’s strategy of dealing with the issue finds growing support in EU’s institutions.
The European Union lives in a state of paradox. In mid-December, the European Parliament awarded the Sakharov Prize to a Georgian journalist for fearlessly opposing his country’s pro-Russian distinctly illiberal government. Two days later, the MEPs deemed the same Tbilisi government as running a country safe for refugees. Go figure.
Just before the Christmas recess, the European Parliament approved its negotiating mandate on the regulations concerning safe third countries and safe countries of origin, backed by a right-of-centre majority. The regulation on safe countries of origin passed with 396 votes in favour, 202 against, and 56 abstentions. The regulation on safe third countries found even thinner margin of support: 384 MEPs voted in favour, 237 against, and 31 abstained.
Commenting on the vote, MEP Nicola Procaccini (ECR/ITA)—co-president of his faction, who hails from the Brothers of Italy party—welcomed what he described as growing consensus around Italy’s approach to migration. “While Giorgia Meloni was addressing the Italian Parliament to highlight the increasing support for Italy’s strategy against illegal immigration, the European Parliament was taking another step in the same direction,” Mr Procaccini said.
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Not everyone on board
The Italian member emphasised that the text found support of a two-thirds majority, calling it a sign of rising awareness across Europe. “It is regrettable that the Italian left remains isolated, continuing to advocate an open-door policy that has resulted in deaths at sea and insecurity in European cities,” he added. His fellow Italian Conservative Carlo Fidanza (ECR/ITA), head of the Brothers of Italy delegation in the European Parliament, stressed that the key achievement lies in clearly distinguishing legal migration from the illegal kind, and those entitled to international protection from those who, in his view, abuse the system.
Not all stakeholders welcomed the agreement. Save the Children urged the EU and its member states to abandon policies that prioritize border control over the protection of minors, expressing “serious concern” over the agreement reached by EU interior ministers on safe third countries, safe countries of origin, and the Return Regulation.
According to the organisation, accelerated procedures and standardized criteria risk denying minors—including unaccompanied children—the right to an individual assessment and the protection of their best interests, potentially leading to illegal pushbacks and violations of fundamental rights. On the Return Regulation, Save the Children warns that the Council’s approach weakens safeguards by allowing transfers to so-called ‘repatriation hubs’ and limiting access to legal assistance and information.
Outsourced security
The organisation insists that all returns should be voluntary and calls for a ban on the detention of minors, adequate reception conditions, specialised centers for unaccompanied children, proper age-assessment procedures, and stronger guardianship systems.
MEP Nicola Zingaretti (S&D/ITA) echoed these concerns, stating that “the future cannot be built on fear, and security cannot be achieved by targeting the most vulnerable.” He described as hypocritical the practice of condemning human rights violations in countries such as Turkey, Serbia, and Tunisia while simultaneously designating them as safe.
MEP Cecilia Strada (S&D/ITA), member of the LIBE Committee, went further, arguing that deporting asylum seekers to third countries in the name of an alleged emergency—contradicted by Frontex and Eurostat data—amounts to legalizing a global market in human beings, financed by European taxpayers. “Tomorrow, these countries, possibly illiberal, will gain enormous leverage over the EU,” she warned. “European security is being outsourced, without guarantees and in open defiance of human rights. Is this the security the right claims to defend?”
Georgia, Turkey deemed ‘safe’
A mere day after the two votes, MEPs reached an informal agreement with the Council on the creation of an EU-wide list of Safe Countries of Origin (SCO), as proposed by the European Commission. Asylum applications from nationals of the listed countries—Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, Kosovo, India, Morocco, and Tunisia—will be subject to accelerated procedures, with applicants required to demonstrate why the presumption of safety should not apply to their individual case.
The designation of a third country as a SCO at EU level will follow the criteria set out in the Asylum Procedure Regulation and the amendments agreed upon. The list may be expanded in the future through the EU’s ordinary legislative procedure.
European security is being outsourced, without guarantees and in open defiance of human rights. — MEP Cecilia Strada (S&D/ITA)
EU accession candidate countries will also be considered safe countries of origin unless specific circumstances suggest otherwise, such as indiscriminate violence linked to armed conflict. Other grounds for exclusion include an EU-wide asylum recognition rate exceeding 20 per cent or the imposition of economic sanctions due to violations of fundamental rights and freedoms. In such cases, the European Commission is required to keep the European Parliament informed.
Individual circumstances still matter
The Commission will continuously monitor the situation in countries on the list, as well as in candidate countries, and may temporarily suspend a country’s designation as safe if conditions change. Where violence or rights violations are geographically limited, the suspension may apply only to parts of a country’s territory or to clearly identifiable categories of persons. Member states will retain the right to designate additional safe countries of origin at national level, except for those suspended by the EU.
In the event of judicial review at national level, the primary focus should remain on the individual circumstances of the applicant. The agreed text also underlines that, in accordance with the EU Treaties, the European Court of Justice has jurisdiction to rule on the validity of an EU-level designation of a safe country of origin.
Under the agreement, the designation of safe third countries and safe countries of origin, both at EU and national level, may include exceptions for specific regions or identifiable groups. These provisions may apply before the full entry into force of EU asylum legislation in June 2026.
