STRASBOURG: The European Parliament on Tuesday definitively adopted two flagship texts tightening EU migration policy, championed by an alliance of right-wing and far-right lawmakers.

The European Union is seeking to make it easier for its 27 member states to send asylum seekers to countries they did not come from but that Europe deems “safe”.

Italy has sought to test the concept with centres in Albania. The migrant centres have, however, largely stood empty since being opened in 2024 because of legal challenges, with many Italian judges viewing the scheme as unconstitutional.

One of the EU measures adopted on Tuesday is expected to facilitate this approach, to the dismay of human rights advocates and left-wing groups, who warn about the treatment asylum seekers may face in such countries.

Green MEP Melissa Camara called it “another step in the dehumanisation of the European Union’s migration policy,”

charging that the dignity of asylum seekers was being “trampled” on.

The European Commission rejects the criticism, insisting that any country receiving migrants under the scheme must respect fundamental rights.

Another key measure approved by parliament is the creation of a list of countries the EU considers “safe” — effectively limiting asylum prospects for their nationals.

The list, which includes Kosovo, Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, India, Morocco and Tunisia, is intended to speed up the processing of asylum claims and, where appropriate, accelerate returns.

“Citizens expect us to deliver on our promises regarding migration policy, and that is exactly what we are doing today,” conservative lawmaker Lena Dupont told the assembly.

The EU’s political centre of gravity has shifted firmly right in recent years, and a decline in irregular entries — down around 25 per cent in 2025 compared to 2024 — 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.

Published in Dawn, February 11th, 2026