EU Migration Pact enters implementation phase/Are member states ready?

2026-06-09 08:08:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The European Union is entering a new phase of migration management, as the full implementation of the Pact on Migration and Asylum begins on June 12.

A few days before the new rules come into force, the European Council and the European Parliament reached an agreement on the Return Regulation, which aims to speed up deportation procedures and create so-called "return centres" outside EU territory for migrants without the right to stay.

The pact, adopted in 2024 and accompanied by a two-year transition period, aims to reform the way the EU manages migration, asylum and border control.

According to the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA), the new measures will increase the efficiency of the system through unified procedures, stronger border controls and the use of digital technology to monitor migratory movements.

The reform comes at a time when the EU is facing major migration challenges. According to Eurostat data, around 4.2 million people from outside the EU migrate regularly to the union each year, while in 2025 over 669,000 first-time asylum applications were registered.

At the same time, Frontex reported more than 178,000 irregular entries at the EU's external borders.

One of the main problems remains the low rate of repatriation. Although member states issue over 117,000 removal orders every quarter, only around 34,000 people are actually returned to their countries of origin.

This means that approximately three out of four migrants who are ordered to leave remain within EU territory, often in an unclear legal situation.

The pressure is particularly high in border countries such as Italy, Greece, Spain and Malta.

In the past, reception centers such as those in Lampedusa and the Moria camp in Greece faced severe overcrowding, far exceeding planned capacities.

Processing asylum applications requires security checks, translation, legal assistance, and interviews, processes that often take months or years.

The EUAA announces that it currently has around 1,300 staff deployed in 12 member states and that it will gradually increase operational support to assist national authorities in implementing the new rules.

A key element of the reform is changing the old Dublin system, which assigned responsibility for processing asylum claims to the first country a migrant entered.

This mechanism was criticized for placing a disproportionate burden on Mediterranean countries. The new pact aims for a fairer distribution of responsibilities among member states and greater coordination at the European level.

However, civil society organizations have raised concerns about the impact of the new measures on the rights of migrants and asylum seekers.

On the other hand, the European Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, has described the agreement as an important step towards establishing "order in the European house".

As the deadline for full implementation approaches, the key question remains whether member states have the administrative, financial and infrastructural capacities to deliver on the promises of the EU's biggest migration reform in decades./ CNA