As of today, June 12, the European Union’s new Pact on Migration and Asylum comes into force — the most extensive reform of the bloc’s common migration policy in recent years. The framework, adopted in May 2024, seeks to replace the fragmented system that has existed until now with common rules for the registration, screening and examination of asylum applications.
At the core of the Pact is the mandatory registration of those entering the EU before the main asylum procedure begins. New arrivals will undergo identity, security, health and vulnerability checks and, depending on their case, will be directed either to an asylum procedure or to a return procedure — deportation.
Today, employees in the Asylum Service are on strike, among other reasons, over understaffing and the ongoing downgrading of asylum procedures.
For frontline countries such as Greece, the new solidarity mechanism is considered crucial. Under it, other member states will contribute through relocations, financial support or other forms of assistance. However, the preference of many governments for financial contributions instead of relocations is expected to become a point of friction.
The Pact has faced strong criticism from rights organizations and asylum bodies, which warn that the focus on fast-track border procedures, detention and returns could in practice restrict access to a meaningful and individualized examination of protection claims.
In Greece, the timing coincides with a 24-hour strike by employees of the Asylum Service and the Appeals Authority, who denounce understaffing, exhaustion, job insecurity and the downgrading of asylum procedures.
Source: Kathimerini
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