European Union fully adopts new migration policy

The European Union has completed the final steps to fully adopt its new migration and asylum legislation. This Tuesday, the European Affairs ministers of the 27 member countries met in Brussels, Belgium, to give the final confirmation to the reform approved in April.

The new legislation for migration and asylum will come into force in 2026, as planned. This is the culmination of the member countries' efforts to update European law to account for mass immigration, to which the European Union is vulnerable.

It involves tougher measures against the entry of illegal immigrants, including minors. It also contemplates a system of solidarity between countries to more evenly distribute the number of asylum seekers. Countries that welcome asylum seekers to relieve the migratory burden of others may receive benefits from the European Union.

In the E.U., there is a paradigm that exposes certain countries to migration much more. Those that enter Europe from Africa disproportionately end up in Spain, Italy and Greece, which often have an excess of immigrants and asylum seekers that overwhelm their systems. This problem also occurs in countries that are the final stop on migratory routes, such as France, Germany or the United Kingdom before Brexit.

Starting in 2026, the registration of immigrants will be much more rigorous. One of the most controversial measures requires administrations to take biometric measurements minors as young as 6 years old. Once the registration is done correctly, the applicable procedure will be determined for each case.