THE AFRICAN COURIER. Reporting Africa and its Diaspora! The African Courier is an international magazine published in Germany to report on Africa and the Diaspora African experience. The first issue of the bimonthly magazine appeared on the newsstands on 15 February 1998. The African Courier is a communication forum for European-African political, economic and cultural exchanges, and a voice for Africa in Europe.
Brussels, 24 February 2026 — The European Union has adopted a controversial revision of its asylum and deportation rules that will allow member states, including Germany, to deport asylum applicants to countries outside the EU — even when they have no personal connection to those states. The decision, finalised by EU governments this week in Brussels, forms part of the broader reform of the Common European Asylum System (GEAS), set to take effect on 12 June 2026.
Under the new framework, EU countries will no longer need to prove that a person seeking asylum has family ties, past residence or other links to a so-called safe third country before deporting them there. Instead, it will be sufficient that there is a formal agreement between the EU state and the third country to receive asylum seekers for processing or return. Officials stress this change is designed to reduce backlogs in national asylum systems and clarify responsibilities in managing migration flows.
At the same time, EU governments also agreed on a common list of “safe countries of origin” — states whose citizens are presumed unlikely to qualify for international protection. The list includes Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, the Kosovo, Colombia, India and Bangladesh, and will be used to fast-track asylum cases. While individual asylum claims will still be assessed, applicants from these countries may face accelerated procedures and quicker returns if they are not found eligible for protection.
Proponents of the reform argue the changes will strengthen asylum systems by speeding up decisions and helping countries cope with high caseloads. Hessian Minister-President Boris Rhein welcomed the agreement as a move towards more efficient migration control and clearer procedures. He urged national parliaments to prepare domestic laws to implement the EU rules, which aim to balance orderly migration with the rights of protection seekers.
However, the overhaul has drawn sharp criticisms from human rights organisations, refugee advocates and legal experts. They warn that allowing deportations to countries with no guarantees of adequate protection could undermine the right to seek asylum and expose vulnerable people to inhumane conditions, detention or mistreatment. Critics also point out that designating countries as “safe” on the basis of political decisions rather than robust safeguards increases risks for those returned.
As EU states prepare to implement the reforms this summer, legal challenges and political debates over migration, human rights obligations and burden sharing across the bloc are expected to intensify.
Adira Kallo
