The European Commission today released a list of countries of origin considered “safe,” thereby limiting the possibility of granting asylum to nationals of those countries who migrate to the European Union.

Included on this list are Kosovo, Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, India, Morocco, and Tunisia.

The objective is to speed up the processing of asylum applications from citizens of these countries, who are migrating in large numbers to EU member states, based on the assumption that they do not fit the profile of a refugee a priori—something that may accelerate their repatriation.

By establishing a unified European list, the Commission aims to correct the current situation that allows asylum seekers to target specific EU countries based on the varying and more or less lenient criteria each state applies when granting asylum.

The Commission considers that most countries that are candidates for EU membership generally meet the criteria to be classified as safe countries of origin.

For the Commission’s proposal to take effect, it must be approved by the European Parliament and by the member states of the European Union. However, the issue is highly politically sensitive and is likely to provoke disagreements among the 27.

The push for the list came from Rome, and today the Italian government is hailing it as “a success of the Italian government.”

The European Commission had previously presented a list of safe countries of origin back in 2015. However, that plan was ultimately abandoned due to intense debate over whether to include Turkey, given its controversial track record in areas such as judicial independence, minority rights, and press freedom.

The European Union is under increasing pressure to toughen its migration policies as right-wing and far-right forces gain ground across Europe.

In mid-March, the European Commission unveiled a package of measures aimed at accelerating the deportation of foreign nationals without residency permits. Specifically, the Commission proposed a legal framework for the creation of migrant centers outside the EU’s borders—so-called “return hubs.”