European Union lawmakers voted this Tuesday, February 10, in favor of new immigration policies that allow migrants to be denied asylum and deported for coming from a country designated as “safe” or for having requested asylum outside the 27-nation bloc. The vote paves the way for the creation of centers outside the EU for applicants for this protection measure.

First modification: 02/10/2026 - 18:46 Last modification: 02/10/2026 - 20:46

The European Union is moving towards the creation of extraterritorial centers for migrants and asylum seekers.

In two votes this Tuesday, February 10, center-right and far-right MEPs joined forces to demand stricter immigration policies, so return centers could be established outside the EU.

MEPs cast 408 votes in favor and 184 against, in a measure relating to the determination of safe countries of origin. And 396 votes in favor and 226 against the measure relating to "safe third countries."

In this way, the European Parliament paves the way for fast-tracking asylum rejections and the possible transfer of asylum seekers to countries with which they have little or no connection, underscoring the rise of anti-immigration policies in the last decade.

The text, which requires the final formal approval of the 27 EU member governments, represents a strong tightening of the community bloc's migration policy, which has been taking shape since the influx of more than one million refugees and migrants in 2015-2016.

The new rules are expected to come into force from next June, and from then on a person seeking asylum can be deported to a country outside the EU, even if they have only been passing through, or to a place with which they have no connection, as long as a European government has signed an agreement with the receiving state.

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The vote effectively endorses Italy's agreement with Albania and the Dutch government's agreement with Uganda on the deportation of people whose asylum applications in the Netherlands have been rejected.

The changes derive from a set of EU rules and processes for managing immigration, known as the Migration Pact, approved in 2023, but whose full application is scheduled until next June.

In search of "innovative solutions", EU leaders in 2024 endorsed the concept of return centers abroad. That is, processing centers for people who are denied asylum in the EU.

Read alsoThe journey of migrants awaiting mass regularization in Spain, while the EU prepares changes

"Safe third countries"

MEPs voted to create an EU list of so-called "safe third countries", meaning people from those places will face fast-track procedures and could find it more difficult to apply for asylum.

The list includes all EU candidate nations, including Georgia and Türkiye, where the EU has expressed concerns about government crackdowns on the opposition in 2025.

Likewise, countries such as Kosovo, Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, India, Morocco and Tunisia are also on the list.

"These new texts represent another step in the dehumanization of the migration policy of the European Union"

The measure generates strong criticism from civil groups who emphasize that the measure could lead to human rights violations and a reduction in the right to asylum, according to a 1951 convention that prohibits the return of applicants for that protection to countries where they could be in danger.

The inclusion of Tunisia as a “safe country” is of particular concern, as President Kaïs Saïed has repressed civil society and opposition figures have been imprisoned for up to 66 years by politically controlled courts. Tunisian forces have also forced migrants to return to remote desert regions, where some have died of thirst.

Anti-immigration discourse has increased across the European Union since more than a million people, mainly from Syria, arrived across the Mediterranean in 2015, but the trend has accelerated with the electoral advance of the far right.

This sentiment has boosted public support for right-wing nationalist parties, pushing governments to adopt increasingly restrictive immigration policies focused on returns.

"These new texts represent one more step in the dehumanization of the migration policy of the European Union, trampling on the fundamental rights and dignity of people," declared the French Green Party deputy, Mélissa Camara.

"The text on safe countries of origin will put hundreds of thousands of people in situations of great danger. Third countries will be considered safe despite the extremely worrying human rights situation," he stressed.

Last May, the EU approved sweeping reforms to the bloc's asylum system, and the European Commission published the new Pact on Migration and Asylum. The agreement, among other things, called for increasing deportations and establishing "return centers," a euphemism for deportation centers for rejected asylum seekers. "Asylum could also become impossible to obtain in many Member States," declared French MP Mélissa Camara.

Read also “Hunt” for immigrants: the keys to the violence of far-right groups in a town in Spain

With Reuters and AP

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