New Pact on Migration and Asylum

The New Pact on Migration and Asylum is the European Union's comprehensive overhaul of its migration and asylum framework, proposed by the European Commission in September 2020 under President Ursula von der Leyen and formally adopted by the European Parliament and Council in 2024. It replaces parts of the earlier Dublin system, which had been criticised for placing disproportionate responsibility on frontline Member States such as Italy, Greece, Spain, and Malta.

The Pact consists of a package of interlocking regulations and directives, including:

• The Screening Regulation, requiring pre-entry identification, security, and health checks for irregular arrivals.
• The Asylum Procedure Regulation (APR), introducing a mandatory border procedure for applicants from countries with low recognition rates.
• The Asylum and Migration Management Regulation (AMMR), which replaces the Dublin III Regulation and establishes a "mandatory solidarity" mechanism: Member States must either relocate asylum seekers, pay financial contributions, or provide operational support.
• The Crisis and Force Majeure Regulation, allowing derogations in situations of mass arrivals or instrumentalisation of migrants.
• A recast Eurodac Regulation, expanding the biometric database.
• The Qualification Regulation and recast Reception Conditions Directive.

The Parliament voted to approve the package on 10 April 2024, and the Council gave final approval on 14 May 2024. Most provisions enter into application in June 2026, following a two-year implementation phase guided by a Common Implementation Plan.

Supporters, including the Commission and centrist political groups, argue the Pact balances responsibility and solidarity while restoring control over external borders. Critics — including UNHCR (which welcomed adoption but flagged concerns), Amnesty International, the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE), and several civil society coalitions — warn that the border procedure risks de facto detention, lowers procedural safeguards, and expands the use of "safe third country" concepts. Hungary and Poland voted against key files in the Council, opposing mandatory solidarity contributions.