Deze EMN Inform geeft een overzicht van het beleid en praktijken van (lid)staten met betrekking tot veilige landen van herkomst. Het beschrijft welke landen een lijst met veilige landen van herkomst hebben ingevoerd en of onderdanen van deze landen anders worden behandeld dan onderdanen van andere landen in de procedure voor internationale bescherming. Bovendien worden verschillen met betrekking tot opvangvoorzieningen en terugkeerbepalingen onderzocht.

24 Lidstaten gaven informatie over hun beleid en praktijken aangaande het concept ‘veilige landen van herkomst’ inzake procedures voor internationale bescherming. De query werd gelanceerd door de EMN contactpunten van Nederland en Estland.

The European Parliament has approved new EU asylum rules to enable faster processing of asylum requests. The reform establishes a common list of safe countries of origin while allowing Member States to maintain or designate additional safe countries at national level. It also clarifies the conditions under which Member States can apply the safe third country concept. While the legislation has now passed Parliament, it still needs to be formally adopted by the Council before entering into force.

The Council of the European Union has agreed its position on two key proposals to strengthen the use of safe country concepts in EU asylum rules. One addresses the safe third country concept, and the other establishes the first EU‑wide list of safe countries of origin. They aim to accelerate asylum procedures and improve the management of applications from those unlikely to require protection. Negotiations with the European Parliament, which has also endorsed the list, will follow to agree on the final texts.

During a session of the Chamber of Representatives’ Interior Committee on 2 December 2025, Minister Anneleen Van Bossuyt outlined the government’s decision regarding the list of safe countries of origin. She specified which countries are included in the 2025 list and explained that Morocco was added due to improvements in its human rights situation and the low recognition rate for asylum applications from Moroccan nationals. 

The European Commission has issued a proposal to accelerate the implementation of certain aspects of the Pact on Migration and Asylum, with the aim of helping Member States process asylum claims more quickly, particularly for applicants whose claims are likely to be unfounded. In addition, the proposal includes the establishment of an EU-wide list of safe countries of origin. Human rights organisations have raised concerns, especially about the inclusion of Egypt, Tunisia, and Morocco, which they argue have ongoing human rights issues.

The list of safe countries of origin, which is revised once a year, was updated on 12 May 2024 and is now published in Belgium’s Official Journal. At present, the following countries are considered as safe countries of origin: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of North Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia, India and Moldova. 

On the proposal of Minister of Foreign Affairs Hadja Lahbib and Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration Nicole de Moor, the Council of Ministers approved a draft royal decree establishing the list of safe countries of origin, now including Moldova.

De lijst van veilige landen wordt elk jaar herzien. Op 7 april 2023 gebeurde de laatste update. De aangepaste lijst is nu gepubliceerd in het Belgisch Staatsblad. Volgens deze lijst worden de volgende landen als veilig bestempeld: Albanië, Bosnië-Herzegovina, Noord-Macedonië, Kosovo, Montenegro, Servië en India.