Asylum: EU list of safe countries of origin to replace national lists in 3 years

The European Parliament's civil liberties committee approved on 7 July 2016 amendments to the proposal from the European Commission to create a common list of safe countries of origin, which aimed to help member states to process certain asylum applications faster and more consistently.

Members of the committee considered that this list should replace national list after a three-year transition period. The Commission would be in charge of assessing which countries should be included, removed or temporarily suspended from the list.

The committee also approved a mandate to negotiate with the Council of the European Union on a compromise text.

This draft law was published in September 2015 as part of a policy package under the European Commission's European Agenda on Migration and following an agreement of the European Council in June. The debate at the European Parliament started in the end of 2015, with a further debate in May 2016.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: 'Safe countries of origin': Assessing the new proposal http://www.europeansources.info/record/safe-countries-of-origin-assessing-the-new-proposal/

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