Filenews 11 November 2025
Spain, Italy, Greece and Cyprus are considered "under migratory pressure" by the European Commission, which paves the way for the relocation of asylum seekers to other EU member states
Spain, Italy, Greece and Cyprus were deemed "under migratory pressure" by the European Commission in its first annual asylum and migration report, which was presented on Tuesday.
These countries were involved last year in a "disproportionate level" of migrant arrivals, including those rescued at sea.
Therefore, Spain, Italy, Greece and Cyprus will benefit in 2026 from the solidarity of other EU member states, which could be expressed by relocating asylum seekers over their territory or by a financial contribution.
Along with this assessment, the Commission proposed to the 27 EU member states the Annual Solidarity Pool, a mechanism to determine the total number of asylum seekers to be relocated and the amount each country must allocate or compensate by paying.
Dexameni's proposal is not public. It will be discussed by the EU member states, which are going to decide the size and share of solidarity for each country by the end of the year.
Each member state (except those under migratory pressure) must contribute according to its population and total GDP and could choose between three options to meet the needs described in the solidarity pool: relocate a certain number of asylum seekers to its territory, pay €20,000 per person who does not relocate; or to finance operational support to Member States under migratory pressure.
The final decision will be taken by EU countries by qualified majority voting, while the minimum size for the solidarity pool is set by law at 30,000 relocations and €600 million in financial contributions.
The Commission's report also identifies 12 countries "at risk of migratory pressure": Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Estonia, Ireland, France, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland and Finland.
These countries are obliged to provide solidarity to those under migratory pressure, but their situation will be reassessed to avoid disproportionate obligations next year.
Another group of countries has been classified as "facing a significant migration situation": Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Croatia, Austria, Poland. They are still obliged to provide solidarity, but can request an exemption from their quotas, which must be certified by the Commission and approved by other member states.
The report and the solidarity pool form the basis for the development of the "mandatory solidarity" system provided for in the Pact on Migration and Asylum, the major reform of migration policy to be adopted in 2024.
Some member states do not want to apply the rules
Some EU countries continue to oppose the system provided for in the Pact on Migration and Asylum.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fizo have already said they will not apply EU rules, as they do not want to contribute either financially or by accepting migrants from other countries.
"Poland will not accept migrants under the Migration Pact. Nor will we pay for it," Tusk wrote on X shortly after the presentation of the report.
Budapest and Warsaw have not even presented the Pact implementation plan to the Commission, EU Home Affairs Commissioner Magnus Brunner admitted during a press conference.
Not contributing to the solidarity mechanism would be a "violation of obligations under EU law," a senior EU official told Euronews.
This could lead to infringement proceedings against countries that do not wish to contribute when the regulation enters into force in June 2026. The first assessment of the EU's new migration rules will take place next July, according to EU sources.
The only legal possibility to avoid the solidarity share is to apply for an exemption, which could only be done by countries that are considered to be "facing a significant migration situation": Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Croatia, Austria and Poland.
If the exemption is accepted by the Commission and the other member states, the requesting country is no longer obliged to accept asylum seekers, nor to compensate with financial contributions. The share of this country will not be redistributed among the other member states.
According to the Commission's report, the overall migration situation in the EU has improved, with a 35% decrease in irregular border crossings over the reporting period (July 2024-June 2025)
At the same time, the Commission considers that irregular arrivals, unauthorised movements of migrants within the EU and the weaponisation of migration from Russia and Belarus are among the challenges that the EU still has to face.
