Negotiations to reform the Common European Asylum System: challenges regarding the principle of solidarity and fair sharing of responsibilities

Abstract

The increase in migratory flows in Europe in 2015 boosted the European Union Member States to discuss the reform of the Common European Asylum System, a mechanism that establishes norms and rules for the treatment of all asylum seekers in the bloc. One of the answers of the European Commission was proposed in 2020: the New Pact on Migration and Asylum, whose negotiations are in progress. The objective of this article is to analyze the context of the negotiations, especially regarding the principle of solidarity and fair sharing of responsibilities. The qualitative research approach was grounded on bibliographic and documental sources, with a descriptive-analytical purpose. We conclude that, although the proposal of the New Pact incorporated the principle of solidarity and fair sharing of responsibilities as a key point of the reform, the solution has been considered of little significance for its norms and rules. Although the proposal has been circulating for more than two years and a minimum consensus has been reached to advance within the bloc, the lack of convergence in the decision-making process among members on this sensitive issue stands out.