EU's 'House Full of People' built on the backs of the poorer

A new European Pact on Migration and Asylum took effect on June 16, 2026, aiming to establish a framework of solidarity among European Union member states. The pact mandates that all 27 EU countries must contribute to managing migration and asylum processes, offering three avenues for participation: financial contributions, technical assistance, or the physical reception of migrants.

This initiative is built on the principle of solidarity, a concept that has faced challenges in implementation within the EU. The pact requires all member states to adhere to common rules regarding border controls, the processing of asylum applications, and a solidarity mechanism for relocating asylum seekers. However, the effectiveness of such mechanisms remains a point of concern, given past instances where some member states resisted mandatory quotas for distributing asylum seekers, reminiscent of the defunct Dublin system.

Croatian news outlet HWR (Hrvatski tjednik) expressed skepticism regarding the pact's implementation, particularly highlighting the uneven enforcement of asylum rules as a persistent issue within the EU. They suggest that the primary responsibility for implementing and upholding these new regulations will fall upon the member states situated at the EU's external borders. The pact, which has been under development for years, seeks to create a more unified and equitable approach to migration management across the bloc.