EU Migration Pact comes into effect

Updated / Friday, The Migration Pact follows years of torturous negotiations over how to manage the asylum system at EU level Tony Connelly , two years after it was adopted . The pact overhauls existing EU rules to bring about what officials describe as a more efficient, streamlined system that will mean a departure from years of toxic politics around the issue. However, the pact has been criticised -right, for not going far enough, and , who said its legal safeguards for those seeking protection are not sufficient. The Migration Pact follows years of torturous negotiations over how to manage the asylum system at EU level. The migration crisis of 2015, when over a million people sought protection in Europe from the Syrian civil war and other regional conflicts, put the existing legal system under enormous strain and arguably led to the rise of far-right parties in the most affected member states. An attempted overhaul was stalled in 2018, but two years later, a newly formed European Commission launched a more ambitious effort, eager to show that the EU could get to grips with the toxic migration issue. In essence, the pact is designed to have more efficient and faster procedures at the EU's external borders, more robust and swifter asylum and return procedures, a compulsory "solidarity mechanism" between member states to share the management of asylum seekers, and enhanced cooperation with third countries to address root causes, combat smuggling, and provide legal pathways for migration. But there are many critics. Member states have had two years to implement the ten pieces of legislation that make up the pact, and that period is up today. The International Protection Act, the Irish legislation required for the pact to take effect, also comes into force today. New migration rules are in force, but how will they work? More stories on News Europe Ireland