Safe countries of origin for asylum seekers to be designated at EU level

On 16 April, the European Commission submitted a proposal to establish a list of safe countries of origin for asylum seekers. The aim is to facilitate a swift examination of asylum applications that are likely to be unfounded: if the applicant comes from a safe country of origin, the examination of their application would be accelerated. The Government informed Parliament of the proposal by submitting a Union communication on 12 June.

Safe countries of origin would include EU candidate countries, the potential candidate country Kosovo, Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, India, Morocco and Tunisia. The list of safe countries of origin would be regularly reviewed and modified as necessary.

The designation of safe countries of origin at Union level would ensure that the concept is applied by all Member States in a uniform manner. However, Member States could still draw up their own national lists of safe countries of origin. So far, no such list has been compiled in Finland. 

The Commission proposal introduces amendments to the Asylum Procedure Regulation. The Asylum Procedure Regulation is part of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, which becomes applicable in June 2026. The aim of the proposal is to bring forward the application of certain provisions of the regulation in order to quickly provide EU Member States with new effective tools to manage asylum applications.

In the next stage, the European Parliament and the Council of the EU will discuss the proposal.

Government supports establishing a list of safe countries of origin

The Government considers it important that the asylum system be made more efficient and improved. It is also important that rejected asylum applicants return or are returned to their countries of origin as soon as possible.

The Government supports measures to increase the use of accelerated procedures and to reduce unfounded asylum applications. It welcomes the establishment of a list of safe countries of origin at Union level.

In the Government's view, the countries proposed by the Commission can be considered safe countries of origin. In the case of EU candidate countries, it may be necessary to specify the exceptional circumstances and the related decision-making.

It may be useful to bring forward the application of certain provisions as proposed. The national legislative amendments required by the Pact on Migration and Asylum are scheduled to enter into force in summer 2026. Provisions on the designation of safe countries of origin will also be laid down at the national level.

Commission proposal on safe third countries

On 20 May, the Commission submitted a proposal concerning safe third countries aimed at promoting the ability of asylum seekers to go through the asylum process and receive international protection in third countries. Third countries are countries that are not part of the European Union, the European Economic Area or the Schengen area.

The Government will shortly inform Parliament of this proposal by submitting a separate communication. 

Inquiries:
Sanna Montin, Chief Specialist, tel. +358 295 488 314, [email protected]