British News Agency

The Commission believes that, with the temporary exception of Ukraine due to ongoing war, all candidate countries meet the criteria to be designated as safe countries of origin.

This means that Albania, Bosnia, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Turkey are all on the list. They are joined by seven more countries: Kosovo, Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, India, Morocco, and Tunisia.

An EU official stated that migrants from these countries are rarely granted refugee status in the EU, with recognition rates equal to or below 5%.

The list must be approved by the parliaments of the EU member states.

The Commission says the common list is intended to promote alignment between member states' national lists. The official added that the list may also feature in future proposals regarding the identification of safe countries of origin.

The EU’s safe countries list is described as “dynamic”, meaning countries can be removed or added. The Commission will regularly review the conditions in each country. The official noted: “A country not being on the list does not necessarily mean it is unsafe.”