Istanbul Medipol University Faculty Member Prof. Dr. Bekir Berat Özipek comprehensively evaluated the European Union's (EU) Migration and Asylum Pact, which came into force recently. In his article penned for AA Analysis, Özipek argued that the pact 'made borders safer and human life more unsafe.'
According to Özipek, although the pact determining the EU's new migration and asylum policy is initially defined as 'a set of rules committed to European values, result-oriented and establishing a common asylum system,' the regulations it contains pose serious risks in terms of human rights.
Center parties support, far right and left oppose
Drawing attention to the pact's position on the political spectrum, Özipek stated that center-right, center-left, socialist and liberal parties support the pact, while far-right and left groups, greens, human rights organizations, and advocates of asylum oppose it. He emphasized that this situation could create the impression that the pact is reasonable, but that the supporting 'center' does not represent a justice and rights-based perspective.
"Non-refoulement principle is being diluted"
Prof. Dr. Özipek said that the pact essentially tries to render the non-refoulement principle dysfunctional without formally rejecting it. Giving the example of the 'legal fiction of non-entry,' Özipek stated that asylum seekers entering EU territory or area of jurisdiction are told 'you are not actually here' in an attempt to block their asylum application.
Irregular crossings decline, deaths in Mediterranean increase
Referring to data from Frontex and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Özipek noted that irregular crossings to Europe decreased by 40 percent in the first months of 2026, while deaths in the Mediterranean increased by over 150 percent compared to the same period the previous year. Pointing out that at least 990 deaths were recorded in the Mediterranean alone in the first months of the year, Özipek stated that this figure represents one of the deadliest starts since 2014.
Contradiction with EU's Israel policy
Questioning concepts such as 'solidarity' and 'international partnership' in the pact, Özipek cited the EU's silence on Israel's attacks on Gaza as an example. He used the following expressions: 'Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich says Gaza's infrastructure has been destroyed and Palestinians will be forced to migrate because it will become uninhabitable. In this case, with whom will the EU show solidarity? With the Palestinians to stop the genocide in the source country, or with third countries to keep them away from its borders when they become migrants?'
Solution: Rights-based integrated policy
Prof. Dr. Özipek stated that dealing directly with migrants rather than with the problems that produce migration increases deaths, and emphasized that the real need is 'to prevent violence, war and massacres in source countries.' Saying 'To solve the problems that bring about migration, we need to talk about the situations that produce mass migration instead of the “migration problem,”' Özipek added that all countries must genuinely share responsibility, but not in the sense defined in the Pact.
