European Commission wants to dump asylum seekers in countries they have never been to
20 May 2025
2 minutes
The European Commission has launched a new proposal that will make it easier to send asylum seekers to countries outside the European Union, even if they have no ties to them. People can now be deported to so-called 'safe' third countries where they have never set foot, where they know no one, and where their rights are not guaranteed. "This amounts to dumping people and human rights," says 11.11.11-migration-expert Flor Didden.
WHAT EXACTLY IS CHANGING?
Until now, the EU was only allowed to send an asylum seeker to a third country if there was a demonstrable connection with that country, for example family or a previous stay. This requirement is now being removed. This makes it possible to to deport people to countries they have no connection with.
Furthermore, the Commission proposes to abolish the automatic suspension of expulsion during an appeal procedure. This means that people can be expelled even before their asylum procedure has been completed. This increases the risk of irreversible errors and inhuman treatment.
With this proposal, the Commission opens the door to sending people seeking protection to countries where they have never set foot – and where they are at risk. This is not asylum policy, but a dumping of people and human rights.
A dangerous trend
The proposal fits into a broader European trend: shifting responsibility for refugee protection to third countries. This often happens without clear guarantees for the rights of people on the run.
Earlier this year, the Commission already proposed so-called “return hubs” for: reception centres outside the EU where rejected asylum seekers are held until they can be repatriated. This new proposal goes a step further. People could be sent to a third country even before their asylum application has been assessed on its merits. And that completely undermines their right to apply for asylum in the EU.
The approach is reminiscent of the UK’s controversial Rwanda Accord – a plan that faced fierce legal and ethical criticism and has proven to be a failure in practice.
Call to the Belgian government and the European Parliament
11.11.11 calls on the European Parliament and the Belgian government to block the proposal. "If this is approved, the last structural protection in the European asylum policy will disappear."
Instead of leaving people out in the cold, asks 11.11.11 that the EU is working on:
- fair asylum procedures at the borders,
- solidarity between Member States,
- and safe, legal migration routes.
