With less than two months to go before the EU's landmark migration reform enters into application, experts, policymakers, and think tanks gathered in Brussels to assess whether Europe is truly ready. The European Policy Centre (EPC), in partnership with Egmont – the Royal Institute for International Relations, hosted a high-level discussion examining the upcoming rollout of the New Pact on Migration and Asylum and the European Commission's newly unveiled five-year strategy on migration.
The timing is critical. The Pact will enter into application on 12 June 2026, consisting of 10 EU laws that touch on all stages of asylum and migration management — from screening irregular migrants at the EU border to determining which Member State is responsible for handling an asylum application, and cooperation and solidarity between Member States.
What Is the New EU Pact on Migration and Asylum?
The Pact is the most comprehensive overhaul of EU asylum and migration rules in more than a decade. The solidarity mechanism, established by the Asylum and Migration Management Regulation, is one of the key pieces of the Pact and aims to reduce illegal entry while providing solidarity measures between Member States to relieve countries where most migrants arrive.
The reference figures for the 2026 solidarity pool are 21,000 relocations or alternative solidarity efforts, or EUR 420 million in financial contributions, marking the launch of the first annual migration management cycle under the Pact.
Panel 1: Implementation, Preparedness and Political Challenges
The first panel, moderated by Jean-Louis De Brouwer, Director of the European Affairs Programme at Egmont, brought together speakers from the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU, the European Parliament, the European Commission, leading think tanks and the European Policy Centre.
From "Crisis Mode" to Managed Migration
A core theme of the discussion was the need for Europe to transition away from reactive, emergency-driven responses. Speakers agreed that full implementation should mark a shift from a "crisis-driven" posture to a more managed approach — but stressed that the Pact will only work if all components move together, given how interdependent the system is.
Uneven Preparedness a Major Concern
Panellists flagged significant risks linked to uneven national readiness. They warned that uneven preparedness across member states could produce fragmented practices on the ground, and that maintaining the right balance — politically and operationally — between responsibility and solidarity will be essential.
This concern echoes the European Commission's own assessment that Member States continue to make progress towards implementing the Pact and ensuring their national asylum, reception and migration systems are ready by June 2026, though there is a general need to speed up the pace of reforms.
Enforcement Must Walk Alongside Protection
A recurring message from panellists was that enforcement must go hand in hand with protection, with some noting that today's policy initiatives do not always reflect the original compromise negotiated in the reforms — a pointed reference to ongoing debates around the Return Regulation and safe third country rules.
Panel 2: The Commission's Five-Year Migration Strategy
The second panel, moderated by Alberto-Horst Neidhardt, Head of the European Migration and Diversity Programme and Senior Policy Analyst at the European Policy Centre, examined the Commission's five-year strategy presented on 29 January 2026.
Three Objectives of the New EU Migration Strategy
The Strategy sets out the way forward to achieve three main objectives: preventing illegal migration and breaking the business of criminal smuggling networks; protecting people fleeing war and persecution, while preventing abuse of the asylum system; and attracting talent to the EU to boost the competitiveness of the EU's economy.
This exchange brought together voices from the European Commission, international organisations including UNHCR and prominent migration think tanks.
Migration Diplomacy Takes Centre Stage
Speakers highlighted that the strategy places heavy emphasis on external action. They underscored the strategy's strong external dimension — effectively codifying "migration diplomacy" — while questioning how to ensure delivery on areas with less political appetite at national level, particularly EU-driven labour migration and enhanced protection in a spirit of responsibility-sharing.
This aligns with the Commission's own framing. Cooperation with third countries is placed at the top of the Commission's five priorities under what it calls "migration diplomacy," describing a "whole-of-route" approach and proposing the use of incentives and leverage across policy areas, explicitly including visa policy, trade, and financial support.
Outstanding Questions: Reception, Returns and Resources
Panellists also raised hard questions about delivery. They raised practical concerns about reception capacity, how to pair returns reform with reintegration and third-country capacity, and how progress will be monitored and resourced — even as the Commission stressed that the strategy reflects EU values and does not imply trade-offs between objectives.
Boosting Talent and Legal Pathways
A key new area of focus is legal migration. The Commission has committed to scale up existing and launch new Talent Partnerships, simplify and accelerate the rules and processes to attract people with the skills Europe needs — including recognition and validation of qualifications.
Which Countries Are Under Migratory Pressure?
Under the Pact's new framework, the Commission has formally identified which Member States will benefit from or contribute to the solidarity mechanism. Greece, Cyprus, Spain and Italy are under migratory pressure and will therefore be eligible to access the Solidarity Pool when the Pact enters into application in mid-2026.
Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Estonia, Ireland, France, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland and Finland are at risk of migratory pressure and will have priority access to the EU Migration Support Toolbox.
What This Means for Migrants, Employers and Member States
For migrants: Asylum procedures will become faster and more standardised, with screening at external borders and stricter rules on secondary movements. Legal pathways via Talent Partnerships are set to expand.
For employers: Businesses in shortage sectors — including healthcare, tech, and construction — should watch for new bilateral mobility channels, streamlined work-permit procedures, and broader recognition of qualifications.
For Member States: Governments face a tight timeline to bring national systems, reception infrastructure, and legal frameworks into compliance by 12 June 2026 — or risk infringement proceedings.
A Decisive Moment for EU Migration Policy
With just weeks to go, the Pact's success will hinge on political will, operational capacity, and the ability of EU institutions to maintain the delicate balance between responsibility and solidarity. As speakers at the EPC–Egmont event underscored, the reform's durability depends on coherence — across all ten legislative files, across all 27 Member States, and across the internal and external dimensions of migration policy.
The coming months will reveal whether Europe can deliver on the promise of a fairer, firmer, and more functional migration system — or whether uneven implementation will once again expose the bloc's deep divisions.
Official Sources and References
-
European Policy Centre (EPC) — "EU Migration Pact 2026: Ready for implementation?" by Marko Milutinovic: https://www.epc.eu/publication/eu-migration-pact-2026-ready-for-implementation/
-
European Commission – DG Migration and Home Affairs — "Implementing the Pact on Migration and Asylum": https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies/migration-and-asylum/pact-migration-and-asylum/implementing-pact-migration-and-asylum_en
-
Council of the EU (Consilium) — "Migration and asylum pact — Timeline and Documents": https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/policies/eu-migration-asylum-reform-pact/
-
European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) — "European Asylum and Migration Management Strategy" (January 2026): https://ecre.org/european-asylum-and-migration-management-strategy/