EU Official Says Bloc Is Regaining Control of Migration Ahead of New Asylum Rules

The European Union is tightening migration controls with a new asylum pact set for June that aims to accelerate deportations and screen arrivals at external borders. A senior EU official said the bloc had lacked adequate systems a decade ago and is now seeking to regain oversight of entries and returns.

The official spoke to reporters on Tuesday in Washington, D.C., as the EU prepares for the pact's implementation. "Ten years ago, we didn't have a system. We didn't have control over what is happening and who would come into the European Union and who would have to leave again," the official said.

"And that's why the member states agreed on the pact for asylum and migration. And now that's what we want to get back. " The official reported that deportation return rates have risen from roughly one in five to nearly 30 percent in recent years. However, the official acknowledged that only about one-quarter to one-third of migrants ordered to leave the EU are actually returned.

The pact, long under discussion among member states, is designed to close enforcement gaps by shifting more processing to the bloc’s external borders, accelerating asylum decisions and expanding return mechanisms. Under the new system, migrants arriving irregularly will undergo biometric and security checks at the border, with asylum claims decided within weeks.

Rejected applicants will be fast-tracked for deportation. The measures also expand the use of so-called "safe third countries" for returns outside the EU. The official said new entry-exit tracking systems and real-time data sharing between member states have improved authorities' ability to identify security risks.