EU seeks to relax rules on turning away asylum seekers

BRUSSELS, Belgium: The EU on Tuesday unveiled plans to make it easier to send asylum seekers to certain third countries, in the latest overhaul aimed at reducing migration to the bloc, sparking criticism from rights groups.

The European Commission said it proposed broadening the so-called “safe third country” concept, which allows member states to “consider an asylum application inadmissible when applicants could receive effective protection” elsewhere.

“EU countries have been under significant migratory pressure for the past decade,” said migration commissioner Magnus Brunner, describing the proposal as “another tool to help member states process asylum claims in a more efficient way”.

Brussels has been under pressure to clamp down on arrivals and facilitate deportations, following a souring of public opinion on migration that has fuelled hard-right electoral gains in several member states.

Under current rules, asylum seekers can have their application rejected if they could have filed it in a “safe” third country where they have “a genuine connection”