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Report nowStricter border controls, more consistent deportations: The EU asylum reform is intended to ease the burden. But how exactly is this supposed to work?
Significantly stricter asylum rules have been in effect in the EU since midnight. They are intended to enable faster asylum procedures and more consistent deportations. The reform was the subject of years of debate.
The new rules are also intended to prevent asylum seekers from moving within the EU—for example, from Greece or Italy to Germany. This so-called secondary migration has repeatedly caused conflicts between member states over the years.
Residents of the refugee camp in Malakasa, north of Athens. (File photo)
Image: Keystone/dpa/Bernd von Jutrczenka
While countries at the external borders felt left to deal with the large numbers of refugees on their own, countries like Germany and France insisted on the rules of jurisdiction. These stipulate that the EU country where an asylum seeker was first registered is always responsible for the asylum procedure. In many cases, however, Italy and Greece refused to take back asylum seekers who had already fled on to Germany.
To create a balance and relieve the burden on countries at the external borders, the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) now includes a so-called solidarity mechanism. EU member states with particularly high numbers of arrivals of asylum seekers are to be supported through financial contributions, in-kind assistance, or the reception of asylum seekers. EU Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner stated upon its entry into force that the CEAS strengthens trust between member states and gives Europe greater control.
Germany does not have to contribute to an already negotiated solidarity pool for the current year, as the Federal Republic is credited with the many asylum seekers for whom other countries would actually have been responsible. In the meantime, deadlines for readmission have expired, which is why Germany had to assume responsibility for many of these cases anyway. The same applies to France.
In addition, so-called border procedures are intended to relieve the burden on the asylum system. In particular, people with little chance of receiving a positive asylum decision are to undergo such an accelerated procedure with a maximum duration of twelve weeks. During this time, they must expect not to be allowed to leave special reception centers, which have been set up in particular by EU countries at the external border.
The new regulation is intended to allow the deportation of people ineligible for asylum to deportation centers outside the EU. This includes countries with which the deportees have no connection. The planned return centers, known as “return hubs,” are also controversial.
The regulation would allow EU member states to house refugees slated for deportation in centers—critics also refer to them as camps—in other countries. From there, attempts would be made to deport them to their home countries. Italy, for example, has devised such a model with Albania.
As a country in the heart of Europe, Germany has only internal EU borders. However, if someone enters by plane or ship and then applies for asylum, external border procedures will also be in place here—for example, in Munich and Frankfurt am Main, where major international airports are located. To this end, there are to be a total of 374 places in appropriate accommodations, some of which are still under construction. A new external border facility will begin operations today at Berlin-Brandenburg Airport. Additional facilities in other federal states are in the planning stages.
12.06.2026, 00:12
12.06.2026, 06:01
