Overview of the Implementation of Safe Country Concepts

 

This biannual overview is published in January and July. This edition covers the period January-June 2026.

In the context of asylum, the term 'safe country' refers to countries which ensure effective protection. European Union (EU) law provides three safe country concepts which can be applied in the asylum procedure: safe country of origin, safe third country and first country of asylum. These concepts are enshrined in Section 5 of the Asylum Procedures Regulation (APR) and establish common criteria for designating third countries as safe countries of origin and safe third countries, as well as a common procedure for processing such applications. Regulation (EU) 2026/464 sets out the list of countries designated as safe countries of origin at the EU level, while Regulation (EU) 2026/463 sets out rules on the application of the safe third country concept.

This overview highlights developments between January and June 2026 concerning the application of the safe country of origin and safe third country concepts at the EU level and in EU+ countries. It also presents the state of play on the implementation of national lists of safe countries as of 30 June 2026, based on data available in the Database on International Protection in Europe (DIP) platform.

For countries not bound by the APR – namely Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland – a similar national legal framework applies. References to these countries should be read in relation to the applicable national legal framework.

Current state of play

Safe country of origin
  • The EU list of safe countries of origin includes Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, India, Kosovo, Morocco, Tunisia and EU accession candidate countries with the exception of Ukraine. Denmark is the only Member State not bound by the Union list.
  • 20 EU+ countries have adopted a national list of safe countries of origin. Although not bound by the Asylum Procedures Regulation, Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland have a similar concept included in their national legislation and operate their own national lists.
  • Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Spain have not adopted a national list of safe countries of origin. Croatia stopped implementing its list with the entry into application of the Pact and the Netherlands suspended its list until further notice. Aside from the EU list, Finland and Portugal implement the safe country of origin concept on a case-by-case basis. In Latvia, Poland and Spain, relevant national legal provisions on the designation of a national list do not exist.
  • Apart from countries designated at the EU level, divergence persists across national lists. Ghana is the most included in national lists, recognised as safe by 12 EU+ countries, followed by Senegal (11 countries) and Algeria (9 countries). 
  • Out of 54 countries designated as a safe country of origin (excluding those in the EU list), the majority (33 countries of origin) are listed as safe by three or less EU+ countries which implement a national list.
  • Six EU+ countries which implement a national list (Denmark, Estonia, Hungary, Luxembourg, Norway and Switzerland) also apply exceptions for specific geographical areas or profiles of asylum seekers within a country of origin (see Table 2). 
     
For more information about Safe Country of Origin see Table 1.
Safe third country
  • A safe third country list has not been designated at the EU level.
  • The safe third country concept is included in national legislation in all EU+ countries, except France, Italy and Poland. 
  • Only seven EU+ countries have adopted a national list of safe third countries (Bulgaria, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland and Switzerland). 
  • When the national legal framework refers to the safe third country concept but a national list has not been adopted, the concept is applied on a case-by-case basis in 14 EU+ countries (Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden). 
  • Austria, Czechia, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia refer to the concept in national law but do not apply it in practice.
  • Estonia and Hungary are the only countries which apply exceptions to the application of the safe third country concept based on geographical location and certain profiles of applicants (see Table 2). The exceptions applied by both countries are identical to those applied to the application of the safe country of origin concept.

 

For more information about Safe Third Country see Table 3.