Amnesty International challenges EU's external asylum strategy

The NGO’s report arrives as EU officials intensify efforts to normalize the practice of processing asylum claims outside the bloc. Magnus Brunner, the EU commissioner for migration, has encouraged member states to exploit the 'safe country' concept, drawing parallels to Spain’s rapid deportations from the Ceuta enclave. This policy shift aims to bypass traditional legal hurdles, effectively preventing migrants from accessing territorial asylum by labeling their nations of origin as secure.

Italy stands at the center of this friction. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s administration has faced accusations of utilizing authoritarian decrees to circumvent judicial oversight. While Rome secured a €680 million, five-year agreement to process arrivals in Albania, the project faltered after local courts intervened, citing European Court of Justice rulings that restrict the designation of 'safe' zones within origin countries. Despite these setbacks, the European Commission has moved to amend regulations, granting states greater flexibility to implement these territorial carve-outs. Amnesty maintains that these maneuvers cannot override the judicial protections guaranteed by the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, even as the bloc continues to prioritize deportation logistics over individual legal access.