Brussels, Belgium, 10 February 2026 — Today, the European Parliament voted to approve two new laws on the countries deemed to be ‘safe’ for people in the asylum system to be deported to.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has responded that this stamp of approval is “deeply disappointing”, and urged policymakers to ensure that the people impacted have access to their full legal rights.
Meron Ameha Knikman, IRC’s Senior Advocacy Advisor, says:
“It’s deeply disappointing that MEPs have today voted in favour of these new laws. They are framed as being about ‘safety’, yet for many of the people whose lives they will upend, they will bring nothing but more fear and insecurity. The new ‘safe third country’ rules are likely to force people to countries they may never have set foot in - places where they have no community, do not speak the language, and face a very real risk of abuse and exploitation.
“It’s also crystal clear that places considered to be ‘safe countries of origin’ are not safe for everyone. Even the EU’s own documents acknowledge that specific groups in each of these countries face serious human rights violations. Declaring these countries to be ‘safe’ does not make those dangers disappear - it simply allows the EU to turn its back on its responsibilities, while people in vulnerable circumstances pay the price.
“People seeking asylum are not bargaining chips. They are human beings with the right to have their cases heard fairly and individually, regardless of where they come from or how they arrived in Europe. It is essential that every person impacted by these new laws has access to their full legal rights, is able to remain in the country where they are seeking asylum while challenging deportation decisions, and is empowered to push back against the dangerous assumption that these countries are safe.”
Notes to editors:
The ‘safe third country’ agreement outlines where people can be deported to - other than their country of origin - if their application for international protection is denied without being examined in full. It removes the previous need for there to be a personal connection between the applicant and that country, making it possible for people to be sent to a country they have only briefly traveled through, or never set foot in and have no connection with.
The ‘safe country of origin’ list deems certain countries, from which 20% or fewer applicants are granted international protection in the EU, to be safe. As a result, their asylum applications fast-tracked rather than processed on their individual merits, and likely denied. This could result in people with specific vulnerabilities slipping through the net, or not being able to access adequate legal support.