The European Union's long-awaited reform of its common asylum system officially entered into force on Friday, marking a significant shift in how the bloc handles migration after more than a decade of negotiations, crises, and political disputes. The overhaul — formally known as the Common European Asylum System, or CEAS — introduces standardised procedures across all 27 member states, faster processing times, stricter border screenings, and a new solidarity mechanism to share the burden more fairly between countries.

At the heart of the reform are accelerated border procedures: asylum claims from nationals of countries with an EU-wide protection rate below 20 percent must now be decided within 12 weeks at the external border, with rejected applicants facing immediate return proceedings. During that period, those affected — including families with children — must remain in dedicated reception facilities. Critics, including human rights organisations and churches, warn that these centres risk resembling detention facilities and that access to legal counsel may be inadequate. In the first year, up to 60,000 such border procedures are envisaged, rising to a maximum of 120,000 annually from June 2028. The majority of applications will still be processed in the country where they are lodged, though with more accelerated procedures than before. A central biometric database — Eurodac — will store comprehensive profiles of all asylum seekers and irregular migrants, accessible across the EU.

The reform also attempts to resolve a long-standing dispute over which country bears responsibility for processing a claim. Under rules that have existed for years but were widely ignored, the country of first entry — typically Greece, Italy, Spain, or Cyprus, which face the highest arrival numbers — is responsible for the procedure. The new pact reinforces this principle while introducing a solidarity mechanism: other member states must either relocate at least 30,000 asylum seekers per year from frontline countries or contribute €20,000 per person into a European fund. Several countries, including the Netherlands, have opted for the financial route. Germany has agreed to a separate arrangement with Greece, allowing Afghan asylum seekers who previously moved on to Germany to remain there.

Despite the political milestone, no EU member state is fully prepared for implementation. National legislation has been slow to be transposed, IT systems are not yet fully operational, and staff recruitment and training are still under way. EU Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner acknowledged as much, describing the entry into force as