BRUSSELS, Nov 6 — The European Commission on Friday proposed establishing a 2027 European Union (EU) Migration Solidarity Pool to support member states under migratory pressure, identifying Greece, the Greek Cypriot administration, Italy, and Spain as eligible for assistance.
Anadolu Ajansı reported that the European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner presented the proposal in Brussels as part of the launch of the bloc's second Annual Migration Management Cycle.
The commission's assessment found that the four countries are under migratory pressure due to disproportionate arrivals over the past year, including arrivals following search and rescue operations at sea in Italy and the overall migration situation, particularly the incident in Ceuta, in Spain.
The proposed solidarity pool aims to distribute responsibility among EU member states and address the needs of countries facing disproportionate migration-related challenges.
Under the EU migration pact, member states can contribute by relocating asylum seekers, providing financial support, taking on responsibility offsets, implementing alternative measures, or combining these options.
The European Council will now decide on the size of the pool and the contributions required from each member state.
Once adopted by the Council, member states' solidarity contributions will become public and legally binding.
A statement said that the Commission also identified 15 member states at risk of migratory pressure and granted them priority access to the Permanent EU Migration Support Toolbox.
They include Belgium, Czechia, Germany, Estonia, Ireland, France, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, and Finland.
Meanwhile, Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Croatia, Austria, and Poland were found to face significant migratory situations due to the cumulative effects of migration over the past five years.
They may request full or partial deductions from their contributions to the upcoming solidarity pool.
It added that illegal border crossings into the EU have fallen by more than half over the past two years, with a further decline of more than one-third during the first six months of this year.
Asylum applications decreased by 19 per cent in 2025, while unauthorised movements fell by 22 per cent. The EU-wide return rate also rose to more than 30 per cent.
