The EU Pact on Migration and Asylum: What Has Changed Since June 12, and How Will the New Rules Affect Ukrainians?

On June 12, the EU’s new Pact on Migration and Asylum officially took effect — the bloc’s most significant overhaul of its migration system in a decade. Find out what the reform entails, why Spain and Poland opposed certain provisions, and how the changes affect Ukrainians

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On June 12, the Pact on Migration and Asylum (PEMA) came into force in the European Union—the bloc’s most significant overhaul of its migration system since the 2015 crisis. This was reported by El Confidencial.

The launch of the new rules is immediately accompanied by tension: there are significant disagreements among EU countries regarding certain provisions, and the practical implementation of the reform is encountering real difficulties. At the same time, the Pact is intended to serve as the foundation for the bloc’s common migration policy.

Read also: Is Ukraine asking Europe to lift protection for men subject to military service? The EU has made an important statement.

What the new Pact entails: key changes

The reform introduces two fundamental innovations:

1. Accelerated screening of migrants at the borders. From now on, the screening of individuals arriving in the EU without documents or through irregular channels must take no longer than 12 weeks. During this time, it is determined whether there are grounds for granting protection or whether the individual should be returned to their home country. The goal is to relieve the burden on national asylum systems and speed up decision-making.

2. A mandatory solidarity mechanism. Member states are now required to either accept asylum seekers according to quotas or pay financial compensation—approximately 20,000 euros for each person the state refuses to accept. In this way, the EU is attempting to distribute the migration burden more evenly among all member states, rather than placing it solely on the countries at the external border—Greece, Spain, and Italy.

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Spain Opposes: Where Exactly Did the Disagreements Arise?

Spain was one of the first to oppose certain provisions of the reform. Pedro Sánchez’s government supported the idea of financial aid for countries that are the first to accept migrants, but categorically disagreed with the creation of so-called return centers outside the EU. Madrid believes that such a practice could violate European human rights standards.

This is a principled stance: Spain is one of the countries most affected by migration pressure via the Mediterranean Sea and the Canary Islands, and at the same time one of the strongest advocates for the humanitarian dimension of migration policy.

Poland: Temporary Exemption from Quotas

Poland has received a temporary exemption from the mandatory migrant redistribution mechanism. Brussels took into account the particular burden on the country: the mass influx of Ukrainian refugees following the start of the full-scale invasion and the complex situation on the Polish-Belarusian border, where attempts at hybrid pressure have been ongoing for years.

Warsaw, however, stated that it does not plan to comply with some of the pact’s infrastructure requirements, considering them excessive. In effect, this means that the implementation of the reform in Poland will be partial—at least during the transitional phase.

Anti-immigration sentiment and pressure at the borders

The pact is taking effect at a difficult time. Anti-immigration sentiment in Europe has intensified, and right-wing political forces in a number of countries are actively demanding stricter border controls and a reduction in illegal migration.

At the same time, governments of countries on the EU’s external border are warning that they lack the resources to quickly implement new procedures. Building the necessary infrastructure for border screening, training staff, and establishing return mechanisms—all of this requires time and significant funds.

Connection to the situation of Ukrainians

Amid the launch of the new pact in the EU, heated discussions are simultaneously underway regarding the future of over 4 million Ukrainians currently under temporary protection. Possible changes to the conditions of this protection for new applicants are being discussed, as well as a transition to more stable national residence permits.

The new pact primarily concerns individuals arriving in the EU illegally or as asylum seekers. However, the general atmosphere of heightened migration controls and the revision of protection rules directly impacts the broader context in which Ukrainian refugees find themselves.

If you or your loved ones are in the EU and have questions regarding protection status, residence permits, or the legal implications of the new migration rules — Visit Ukraine’s migration lawyers are ready to provide personalized consultation.

We remind you! While the influx of refugees to Europe has dropped to a minimum, the number of actual deportations is breaking records. EU countries are tightening control measures, issuing hundreds of thousands of departure orders and sending people back. Read which countries most often deport foreigners and why they are denied entry at the border.

Photo: fabrikasimf / Freepik

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