The European Union has identified seven countries it considers safe countries of origin, as part of proposals to speed up asylum applications, especially from those countries involved.Citizens from Kosovo, Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, India, Morocco and Tunisia would all have their claims fast-tracked within three months on the assumption that they were likely to fail.Markus Lammert of the European Commission said it would be a “dynamic list” that could be expanded or reviewed, with countries suspended or removed if they were no longer seen as safe.Ever since EU countries saw an influx of irregular migrants in 2015-16, they have sought to reform asylum rules. A pact on migration and asylum was agreed last year, but the EU says as it does not come into force until June 2026 it wants to push through two key rules on speeding up processing. EU leaders called on the Commission last year to come up with plans to accelerate migrant returns, as EU figures suggested under 20% of people ordered to leave were sent back to their countries of origin.Under the plans, EU countries would be able to fast track people coming either from safe countries or countries from which a maximum of one in five applicants are given protection.European countries that are candidates to join the EU will automatically be considered safe, although exceptions are possible, for example for countries at war such as Ukraine.Among the countries pushing for reform was Italy, which has seen a big influx since 2015. Other countries including Germany have imposed border controls in a bid to limit irregular migration.Although Italy is among several member states that already have designated safe countries, it is thought an agreed EU list would deter asylum seekers from targeting those with looser regulations.Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt have all seen large numbers of irregular migrants leave their shores to cross the Me …
