Brussels wants to accelerate asylum procedures with a list of safe countries of origin that includes countries like India, Bangladesh and Egypt.
The European Union on Wednesday published a list of seven countries that it considers “safe,” as member states seek to speed up migrant returns.
The list includes Kosovo, Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, India, Morocco and Tunisia.
What does this mean for asylum claims?
The expanded list means EU member states will process applications from the countries deemed safe using an accelerated procedure because they have a low chance of success.
“Many member states are facing a significant backlog of asylum applications, so anything we can do now to support faster asylum decisions is essential,” said Magnus Brunner, the EU’s commissioner for migration.
Although the EU presented a similar list in 2015, the plan was abandoned due to heated debates over whether or not to include Turkey.
