European institutions finalized the pact early Thursday morning, although the agreement must now be ratified by both bodies. The primary goal of the new regulation is to limit the number of asylum applications considered admissible.

The legislation revises the “safe third country” concept, which allows member states to reject an asylum application without examining its content. Crucially, a connection between the asylum seeker and the third country will no longer be mandatory to use this concept and proceed with deportation.

The circumstances under which an application can be rejected as inadmissible are also expanded. Rejection is possible if the applicant transited through the third country before reaching the EU or if an agreement exists with a third country guaranteeing the application will be examined.

It is important to note that unaccompanied minors will be excluded from the application of the safe third country concept. Furthermore, an applicant appealing an inadmissibility decision will no longer have the automatic right to remain in the European Union during the appeal process.

These modifications to the safe third country concept will apply across all member states starting June 12, 2026, coinciding with the full implementation of the migration pact.