On 12 June, after a two-year implementation phase, the EU’s Pact on Migration and Asylum finally entered into force. Its long and troubled genesis required significant political compromise between the European Parliament’s political groups, as well as between the EP and the member states. Nevertheless, the result – achieved against a challenging political backdrop and right before the end of the last European parliamentary term – left many unsatisfied on all sides, with just as many concerned about the risks to migrants’ human rights, the practical functioning of such complex mechanisms and even the actual political willingness to fulfil obligations.
Now, following the adoption of the various pieces of legislation that comprise the pact, the administrative adjustments and the start of the construction of the necessary facilities, EU member states are called upon to demonstrate their preparedness for its different building blocks. Legal, administrative and operational divergences, shortcomings and gaps may not only hinder the pact’s practical application but also undermine its overall credibility and jeopardise the rights, fair treatment and safety of migrants and asylum seekers.
In this dossier, we focus on a few key elements of the pact, the screening and border procedures and the solidarity mechanism – both representing major, albeit ambiguous, innovations – and the controversial Returns Regulation. The latter, an additional piece of legislation on which agreement was reached in the European Parliament last June, has already drawn widespread criticism for violating human rights.
Photo credits: European Union, 2026
