The European Parliament voted Wednesday to approve two proposals designed to strengthen Europe’s migration controls, supported by a coalition of right and far-right lawmakers.
One of the measures would allow asylum seekers to be sent to countries deemed "safe" by the EU, even if they are not their country of origin.
Far-left lawmaker Damien Careme called it a "Christmas gift to Giorgia Meloni," in reference to the Italian leader's plan for migrant processing centers in Albania, which faces legal hurdles.
Rights groups have strongly criticized the EU measure, warning of risks to asylum seekers in third countries.
"Let's be clear: this text does not aim to improve our asylum system. We will send people to countries with which they have no connection, without examining their claims," charged the centrist lawmaker Fabienne Keller.
The European Commission insists that any country receiving migrants will be bound to uphold fundamental rights.
A second measure backed by parliament is the creation of a list of countries of origin considered "safe" by the EU – making it harder for their citizens to claim asylum in the bloc.
The list includes Kosovo, Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, India, Morocco and Tunisia, with the goal of speeding up processing of asylum claims and facilitating returns.
Far-right lawmaker Fabrice Leggeri called the steps necessary to "reduce the unbearable pressure of unfounded asylum requests on our member states."
His political group – the Patriots of Europe that includes France's National Rally – joined forces with the center-right to pass the texts, which were approved by EU member states last week.
Final adoption could come later Wednesday during negotiations between lawmakers and member states, several sources told AFP.
A decline in irregular entries to Europe – down by around 20% so far in 2025 compared to last year – has not eased the political pressure to act on the hot-button issue.
Nearly one million people applied for asylum in the EU last year and about 440,000 were granted protection.
