Italy, Spain and Greece to Be Allowed to Relocate Asylum Seekers to Other EU Countries

The European Commission, the European Union's executive body, has designated four key southern Mediterranean countries — Spain, Italy, Greece and Cyprus — as countries under the greatest migratory pressure due to unusually high arrivals of migrants. According to the European Commission's latest assessment report, issued on November 6, under the new EU Migration Pact, these four countries will be granted the legal right and facility from 2027 to transfer a specified number of asylum applications and migrants to other EU member states without obstruction. The Commission made it clear that although administrative infrastructure in these countries has been expanded, the influx of asylum seekers remains disproportionately high in relation to their populations and geographical capacities.

Italy has been identified as particularly deserving of special relief because of the large number of migrants rescued from its maritime borders. Spain has also been included due to the impact of the sudden arrival of thousands of people through Ceuta, a Spanish territory bordering Morocco, in late July. Alongside this special decision, the European Commission's report also revealed encouraging developments across the continent, with irregular migration showing a clear and sustained decline. During the first half of 2026, irregular crossings at the EU's external borders fell by more than one-third, continuing a downward trend that has seen a decline of more than 50 per cent over the past two years. New asylum applications within the European Union and secondary movements of migrants from one Schengen country to another have also decreased, while the return of people residing in the EU without legal authorisation to their countries of origin has accelerated.

Commenting on the report, European Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner said that recent immigration reforms were producing tangible results and that the EU had gained greater control over who could enter Europe, who had the legal right to stay and who needed to be sent back. To implement the new system, the European Union has established a formal framework known as the "Solidarity Pool", in which participation by all member states, except the four southern countries facing the greatest migratory pressure, has been made mandatory. Under the arrangement, other EU countries will have the option of either accepting or resettling asylum seekers relocated from the southern frontline states, providing financial assistance of €20,000 for each rejected asylum seeker, or offering practical logistical support to frontline countries in the form of border management assistance and technical resources.

The final quotas for the 2027 Solidarity Pool have been kept confidential pending consultations among member-state governments. However, Hungary and Slovakia have firmly refused to participate in the mechanism, creating additional political challenges for the EU's solidarity system. The agreement also addresses complex migration challenges along eastern European borders, in addition to the southern maritime frontiers. The Commission has identified 15 other countries, including Germany, France, Poland and the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, as being at risk of increased migration pressure. These countries are also dealing with the arrival of Ukrainian refugees and internal displacement.

Particular criticism has been directed at Russia and Belarus over what the Commission describes as the use of hybrid warfare tactics, involving the movement of migrants from the Middle East and Africa towards European borders as a means of political pressure. These developments have forced Latvia and Poland to construct border fences and establish buffer zones. Meanwhile, six countries — Bulgaria, Czechia, Austria, Poland, Croatia and Estonia — have also been granted special permission to seek partial or full exemptions from their financial or operational obligations for 2027. The provision is based on the substantial refugee pressure they have experienced over the past five years and is intended to ensure a more balanced and equitable distribution of responsibilities across Europe.