The European Conservatives and Reformists Group (ECR) welcomes today’s vote in the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, which approved the trilogue agreement on the EU list of safe third countries of origin.

For centre-right and conservative lawmakers in the ECR, the agreement marks an important step towards faster asylum procedures and more credible return policies. In the European Parliament, the file was led by ECR rapporteur Alessandro Ciriani.

Commenting after the vote, Mr Ciriani said:

“Today’s vote on the trilogue agreement on the EU list of safe third countries of origin represents a decisive political step. It establishes concrete rules for swifter procedures and effective returns.

“Member States will have reliable tools to distinguish those who are entitled to protection from those who are not.

“It is significant that the agreement was reached in a short timeframe. It proves that when work is carried out with method and responsibility, Europe can act with pragmatism. This rapid legislative process shows that our proposals are concrete and workable and that positive signals of common sense on migration are finally emerging at European level.

“The list, which includes EU candidate countries alongside Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, India, Morocco, Tunisia and Kosovo, allows for faster examination of manifestly unfounded applications and makes returns finally credible, reducing uncertainty, litigation and administrative chaos.

“It is a change of paradigm. It moves beyond the logic of indiscriminate reception and affirms the principle that immigration must be governed, not endured.

“The process now enters its final stage. We await the final vote in the Strasbourg plenary and subsequent publication in the Official Journal so that the regulation can become fully operational in all Member States.”