The European Commission unveiled a new list of so-called «safe countries» regarding migration on Wednesday, which includes seven countries: Morocco, Kosovo, Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, India, and Tunisia. This classification aims to reduce the chances of granting asylum to citizens of these countries by expediting the processing of their applications, on the assumption that they generally do not meet the criteria required for refugee status, thereby facilitating their deportation. The Commission explained that the inclusion of these countries on the list aims to address the increasing number of migrants coming from them to the European Union, with the presumption that asylum seekers from these countries are not, in principle, subject to systematic persecution or direct threats to their lives, which justifies their classification as «safe countries of origin». Although several European countries, such as France, have their national lists of «safe countries», the European Union had not yet adopted a unified list encompassing all its members. The Commission believes that this disparity in standards between countries encourages asylum seekers to head toward specific countries with more flexible systems. The Commission noted that candidate countries for EU membership generally meet the necessary conditions to be considered «safe countries». To approve this list, the consent of the European Parliament and EU member states is required, which may open the door to extensive political debate, given the sensitivity of the issue and potential divisions among the twenty-seven countries. Italy was one of the most prominent supporters of this approach, describing the announcement of the list as a «success for the Italian government». Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi stated that the far-right coalition led by Giorgia Meloni was elected based on its pledges to tighten immigration policy and has worked diligently to review this list, both bilaterally and multilaterally. The Commission had proposed a similar list in 2015 but later withdrew it due to disagreements over the inclusion of Turkey, given its concerning situation in areas such as human rights, judicial independence, and press freedom.
