EU seeks to accelerate migrant returns with new safe countries list

The latest news on the European Union. The EU has introduced a new strategy to streamline asylum processing, identifying seven countries—Kosovo, Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, India, Morocco, and Tunisia—as safe for fast-tracked returns.

The countries are assumed to pose minimal risk to their nationals, which could significantly cut the time it takes to reject claims deemed unlikely to succeed. Italy, a long-time advocate for stricter border measures, has taken credit for influencing the inclusion of key countries.

However, rights groups are raising red flags, arguing that the safety label might be a bureaucratic shortcut masking deeper issues of persecution and instability. As the plan heads to Parliament for approval, debates are set to intensify.