World Immigration News

(DW)What impact will the new EU asylum law CEAS really have?

Release Date: 2026-06-12
Media: DW
Summary: The European Union’s new Common European Asylum System (CEAS) entered into force on June 13 after years of preparation, marking one of the most significant reforms of EU asylum policy in recent decades. The reform aims to speed up asylum procedures by introducing mandatory screening and fast-track border procedures for applicants from countries with low asylum recognition rates, such as Pakistan, Iran, Russia, Turkey, and Nigeria. Applicants from countries with higher recognition rates, including Syria and Afghanistan, will continue to go through regular asylum procedures.

However, immigration expert Gerald Knaus is skeptical about the effectiveness of the reform. He argues that the principle requiring asylum seekers to have their claims processed in the first EU country they enter has existed for years but has never worked effectively. As a result, many asylum seekers have continued to move on to countries such as Germany and Austria, which have granted a large share of successful asylum applications in the EU. Knaus believes future asylum numbers will be influenced more by developments in countries of origin than by changes in EU legislation.

The German government expects the new system to make it easier to transfer asylum seekers back to the EU member state responsible for processing their claims. The reform also introduces a principle of “mandatory solidarity,” requiring other member states to help share responsibility for asylum procedures. However, practical implementation remains unclear, and some countries, including Poland and Hungary, have previously resisted participation.

Germany also plans to establish additional “return centers” to facilitate transfers of asylum seekers within the EU. In the longer term, the EU hopes to create “return hubs” in third countries for unsuccessful asylum applicants, but these facilities currently exist only as proposals.

While Germany credits stricter border controls for the recent decline in asylum applications, the European Commission has called on Germany to gradually phase out internal border checks now that the CEAS has come into force. German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, however, insists that border controls remain necessary to prevent a renewed rise in irregular migration.

The reform also requires significant administrative changes. Germany and several other EU member states have not yet fully met all CEAS requirements, according to the European Commission. EU Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner described the launch of the CEAS as “the beginning of the journey, not the end,” emphasizing that the system will take time to become fully operational.
Tags: Germany