EU migration rules take effect amid enforcement doubts

The European Union's comprehensive Pact on Migration and Asylum has officially come into force, aiming to standardize procedures and responsibilities across its 27 member states. This marks a significant shift from the previous fragmented system, where asylum processes varied greatly from one country to another.

The pact introduces unified rules for border screening, asylum procedures, reception conditions, and a solidarity mechanism for relocating asylum seekers. However, the ambition of the pact is already facing practical challenges. Member states have collectively pledged fewer than half of the 21,000 asylum seekers targeted for relocation by 2026, with Hungary and Slovakia explicitly stating they will not participate in any relocations.

Alongside the pact, the EU's Return Regulation, described as one of its most stringent migration laws in decades, also takes effect. This regulation aims to increase the rate of compliance with orders to leave the EU, which currently stands at only 28 percent. New measures include the establishment of return hubs outside the EU, an extension of detention periods up to two years, the imposition of double-entry bans, and the removal of the suspensive effect of appeals.

These stricter return policies have drawn criticism from over 250 civil society organizations, who have labeled them as a legitimization of "offshore prisons and child detention." The European Commission is set to conduct its first compliance review in July, which will reveal the extent to which member states are adhering to the new regulations.