Friday, 12 June is the first day of application of the EU Migration Pact. The date coincides with the opening of a new centre for conducting asylum procedures, which is intended to speed up potential asylum decisions and deportations. The location is Berlin Airport.
According to EU requirements, Germany must provide 374 such centres across the country. Facilities similar to the one at Berlin Airport are located at airports in Frankfurt am Main and Munich.
Pact enters into force
On Friday, the migration and asylum pact came into force across the European Union. The European Commission argues that the new regulations will strengthen the protection of external borders and improve return procedures.
Adopted in 2024, the Migration Pact is intended to create a common framework for managing migration in the EU. It includes, among other things, mandatory registration and security checks for migrants illegally crossing the Union’s borders, faster border procedures for people with a low chance of obtaining asylum, as well as new return rules and a solidarity mechanism between member states.