EC presents list of safe countries for rejected asylum seekers

BRUSSELS (ANP) – Asylum applications from people from these safe countries must be processed within three months. Applications from people from safe countries may also be handled through a so-called border procedure. The asylum seeker must then wait for the decision outside the EU.

The Netherlands wanted more countries to be declared safe, said Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof earlier.

“The EU list of safe countries of origin is a dynamic list,” said the spokesperson for the European Commission. The list can be expanded or revised. If countries no longer meet the criteria as a safe country of origin, they are removed from the list. The Commission assesses the safe countries on that list at regular intervals.

Member states may expedite asylum requests from people coming from countries where there is little chance of asylum, the Commission further proposes. If applicants have less than a 20 percent chance of asylum, an expedited procedure of three months may be followed.

If all EU countries use the same list of safe countries, the chance decreases that asylum seekers choose that EU country where their home country is not considered safe, the Commission reasons.

The member states and the European Parliament still need to agree to the proposal.

(April 16, 2025)