India among seven ‘safe’ countries on EU’s proposed list to refuse asylum applications

The European Union has proposed a “safe countries of origin” list as part of its overhaul of migration legislation, with the aim of speeding up asylum applications that are unlikely to be successful.

Asylum seekers from the seven countries on the list – Colombia, Kosovo, Bangladesh, India, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia – are granted protection in the EU in less than 20% of cases.

If the list – proposed in April – is adopted as part of the bloc’s new Migration Pact, which comes into effect next year, applicants from those countries will be subject to an expedited asylum procedure lasting no more than three months.

The European Parliament and member states still need to vote on adopting the list.

The safe list has been criticised by human rights organisations, who fear it could undermine asylum seekers’ rights to fair asylum procedures.

Processing applications in tight timeframes increases the risk of overlooking an individual’s need for protection and limits access to legal support, according to a statement released by Amnesty International and signed by 51 other rights organisations.

The groups, including Human Rights Watch and the Danish Refugee Council, also questioned the safety of the countries on the list, noting all have records of human rights violations. Vulnerable groups, such as political dissidents and LGBTQ+ people, also face...

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