(Adnkronos) – Foreign minister Antonio Tajani on Friday welcomed the entry into force of accelerated European Union rules on how member states handle migrants and asylum-seekers, which allow applicants to be kept at the bloc’s borders while their cases are processed and include a solidarity mechanism to help front line Mediterranean countries like Italy and Greece.
“Today, the European Pact on Asylum and Migration comes into force. There will be even stricter controls and faster returns for those who have no right to be admitted,” Tajani wrote on X.
“At last, Europe is adopting a more determined stance in combating illegal immigration. This is a result achieved thanks to the government’s commitment,” he wrote.
“Combating irregular immigration means having a safer and freer Europe and Italy,” Tajani concluded.
The pact, adopted in May 2024, overhauls the EU’s failed asylum system and results from years of tough negotiations. Under the new rules, asylum-seekers will be screened at the EU’s borders for up to a week before they are admitted and those from countries defined as safe or which pose a security threat will have their claims processed in three instead of six months. Applicants will only be allowed to appeal a rejected application once.
Human rights groups have criticised the new rules, arguing that the accelerated procedures undermine the right to seek asylum, introduce racial profiling and deny international protection to applicants with legitimate claims.
