Major changes to the Dublin regulation adopted this morning are a huge step towards a more solidarity-based system of distributing asylum seekers among EU member state.

GUE/NGL Coordinator on the LIBE Committee, Cornelia Ernst, comments: “I am extremely happy about the adoption of this report. It demands radical changes to the way asylum seekers are distributed in the EU under the so-called Dublin criteria. In particular, it changes the criteria regarding the first country of entry.”
 
“GUE/NGL has for a long time demanded an end to the current system that leads to Italy and Greece being held responsible for the majority of asylum seekers in the EU.
 
“What the report adopted today proposes is a system of distributing asylum seekers among members based on meaningful links to a member state, such as having family ties, diplomas and previous residence permits in that member state.
 
“Most importantly, everybody, no matter how and where they entered the EU will be eligible for relocation to another member state. This is the most radical change to the dysfunctional Dublin system that has ever been approved in this house and it is a huge step forward.
 
“I hope that Council gets the message and will finally start working on the proposal,” Ernst concludes.