EU member states have formally endorsed an EU-wide “safe country” list and revised “safe third country” concepts, allowing authorities to fast-track certain applications and refuse asylum to those who traveled through designated regions. Human rights advocates expressed particular alarm over the inclusion of Tunisia, noting its recent rollbacks on civil liberties and its history of rights violations. Michael O’Flaherty, the Council of Europe’s Human Rights Commissioner, warned that these measures risk violating basic refugee law by bypassing individual assessments and removing essential entitlements. The new rules, effective this June, also permit the designation of specific parts of a country as safe, a move intended to facilitate offshoring models similar to the Italy-Albania deal. Despite being labeled as “innovative solutions” by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, critics argue these policies mirror failed and costly externalization attempts in the US, Australia, and the UK.
Date: February 23, 2026. Source: euobserver.com