EVP Calls for ‘Hard Asylum Turn’ at Europe’s External Borders
The European People's Party voted to allow direct border rejections of migrants from safe third countries without asylum processing and to eliminate subsidiary protection status.
At a party conference in Vienna, delegates from the center-right bloc backed a resolution calling for significantly stricter enforcement at EU external borders, according to Junge Freiheit. The core provision eliminates asylum processing for migrants who have already reached safety in a third country before attempting to enter European Union territory.
The resolution argues that individuals already in safe locations do not require additional protection from the EU. Under the new policy framework, such arrivals would face immediate rejection at the border without the lengthy asylum procedures currently in place.
German Conservative Parties Shaped New Framework
The Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union played a substantial role in drafting the resolution, Junge Freiheit reports. The approach mirrors enforcement measures implemented by Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt of the CSU at Germany’s internal borders.
The resolution also grants EU member states explicit authority to reject migrants weaponized by hostile governments. This provision targets scenarios such as the Belarus-Poland border crisis, where the Minsk regime has repeatedly deployed migrants as a pressure tool against the European Union.
Subsidiary Protection Status on Chopping Block
The EPP resolution calls for abolishing subsidiary protection status entirely. This designation currently covers individuals who fall outside the Geneva Convention refugee definition but face serious harm in their home countries.
Detlef Seif, a CDU interior policy expert and the Union’s point person for European asylum reform, confirmed his party’s involvement in crafting the resolution. He characterized the measures as having the potential to be a game changer.
Seif told the German press that existing EU measures against illegal migration have been helpful but insufficient. Every person reaching Europe currently enters an asylum procedure upon request, he noted, adding that this must change urgently for security reasons. The European Union must gain the ability to impose factual limits on inflows, the CDU politician stated.
Safe Third Country Doctrine Gains Traction
The Vienna resolution represents a major policy evolution for the EPP, which has historically maintained a more moderate stance on border enforcement. The unanimous vote signals growing consensus among European center-right parties that current asylum frameworks have proven unworkable.
By embracing direct rejections at external borders, the bloc is positioning itself closer to policies long advocated by conservative governments in Central Europe. The safe third country principle effectively creates a barrier to asylum shopping across multiple jurisdictions.
With information from Junge Freiheit
