New EU Asylum System Takes Effect, Experts Skeptical

After years of preparation, one of the most significant reforms to asylum law in Germany and the entire European Union takes effect this Friday. The new "Common European Asylum System" (CEAS) will require that asylum seekers undergo a mandatory preliminary screening at the EU's external borders, in an attempt to speed up procedures for people coming from countries with low rates of acceptance of asylum applications.

This means that asylum seekers from countries such as Pakistan, Iran, Russia, Turkey, or Nigeria will be subjected to fast-track border procedures in camps that are largely closed off. According to Eurostat, the EU's statistical office, fewer than 20% of the asylum seekers from these and dozens of other countries have their rights to asylum recognized.

Gerald Knaus, an immigration expert and founder of the think tank "European Stability Initiative" (ESI), doubts that this will work. It will still be tough to deport people to their home countries, as rejected asylum seekers will likely just move on to another EU country, says Knaus. "Actually, it has always been the case that the countries where asylum seekers arrive first are responsible for processing their applications. It just hasn't worked out that way. Why should it work now?" asks Gerald Knaus.

Who goes through 'border procedures'?

According to the European Commission, the largest groups of asylum seekers in 2025 came from Afghanistan and Syria. The asylum recognition rate for people hailing from these two countries is over 20%. Consequently, individuals from these countries do not go through border procedures but rather through regular asylum procedures. And responsibility for these procedures also lies with the countries of first entry.

Immigration researcher Gerald Knaus does not expect CEAS to bring about any major changes. He points out that although Germany and Austria do not lie on the EU's external border, more than half of all successful asylum applications in the EU within the last ten years were granted in these countries.

Knaus believes that this will remain unchanged and that the numbers will be influenced more by developments in the asylum seekers' countries of origin than by EU law. "If the fall of the Assad regime brings an end to the exodus of Syrians entering the EU, then the number of asylum applications in Germany and Austria will also drop dramatically. That had nothing to do with the interior minister, nor does it have anything to do with CEAS, nor does it have anything to do with border controls," Gerald Knaus told DW. Since the regime change in Syria at the end of 2024, the number of people leaving the country has been declining sharply.

Will Germany deport more people?

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt believes that the new CEAS rules will make it easier for Germany to transfer asylum seekers to the country where they first entered the EU. To ease the burden on these countries, the CEAS stipulates that other EU member states must show "mandatory solidarity" by taking over the processing of asylum seekers' cases.

It is unclear how this will work in practice, but the European Commission has been tasked with coordinating the process. Poland and Hungary have previously refused to participate on principle. Meanwhile, Germany does not intend to accept any asylum seekers this year because it is overburdened, said its Interior Ministry.

To facilitate the return of asylum seekers from Germany to the EU countries responsible for them, the federal government plans to set up "return centers" across the German states. However, at the moment, there are only two such centers, one in Hamburg and one in Eisenhüttenstadt.

According to an agreement between EU member states and the European Parliament, at some point it should also be possible to deport unsuccessful asylum seekers from the European Union to third countries. Centers termed "return hubs" for this purpose are to be built there, but at the moment, these only exist on paper.

Interior Minister Dobrindt has announced that willing partner countries are to be identified by the end of the year. When asked about the construction of the return hubs, the minister replied, "That's going to be a tough nut we'll have to crack."

EU has called on Germany to end border controls

The number of first-time asylum applications has been falling significantly in Europe and Germany for the past two years — something the Interior Minister Dobrindt attributes to the comprehensive border controls implemented by Germany and nine other EU member states.

But the European Commission has called on Germany to gradually phase out these controls now that the new Common European Asylum System (CEAS) has come into force. Speaking to DW, however, Dobrindt said: "I have also made it clear how necessary it is to continue with border controls so that we do not send the wrong signals to the world. We have successfully tackled illegal migration, but we must continue to do so to ensure that we do not end up in a situation where we are overwhelmed again."

German bureaucracy under fire

For Germany's Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), the EU asylum reform meant a great deal of work. Back in February, Volker Mäulen, head of the CEAS project group at the Federal Office, made this clear. Data processing and workflows had to be brought into line with the more complex legislation, and many employees needed training.

The European Commission in Brussels recently noted in a report that Germany does not yet meet the CEAS requirements in some areas, nor do many other countries, including countries such as Greece and Italy where many asylum seekers first arrive.

Referring to his agency's report, EU Commissioner for Migration Magnus Brunner said that the introduction of the CEAS reform on June 12 was the beginning of the journey, not the end. "Not everything is going to be perfect at the start," he added.

This article was originally written in German.