The common implementation plan of the new pact on migration and asylum, revealed by the EU Commission on Wednesday (June 12), aims to act as a template for national implementation plans across the bloc.

The pact was adopted by the EU in May after years of fierce negotiation between member states over the precise nature of its contents.

The new laws aim to share out responsibility for migration and asylum more fairly across the bloc, and toughen up the rules for applicants hoping to gain protection in a European country.

Member states now have two years to introduce the rules into their national law. The implementation strategy will assist in that process, German press agency dpa reports.

Also read: What the EU parliament election results might mean for migration policy

The plan is based on "ten building blocks" designed to "focus and facilitate implementation efforts," the EU said in a press release.

This first roll out is to provide a template for member states' national implementation plans, which are due by December 12, 2024.

"Today we go from word to action, with a common goal; to implement what we have agreed on," Ylva Johansson, Commissioner for Home Affairs, said at a press conference announcing the roll out. "With the common implementation plan, we move to operational and pragmatic implementation to make a difference on the ground."

Margaritis Schinas, Vice President for Promoting our European Way of Life at the European Commission, called the roll out "a blueprint for the next two years… to make the pact on migration and asylum a reality on the ground."

Also read: Refugees and migration, criticism of Europe's asylum policy

Schinas added that although not all member states were starting from the same point, he was determined that "we will cross the finish line together."

Both commissioners said the Commission and other EU agencies will support member states in their implementation of the pact.

Ten point implementation plan

1.     Reform the Eurodac system

The first building block is to establish the reformed Eurodac system, a common migration and asylum information system, which the EU hopes will support member states to cross-reference migrant arrivals and the progress of any asylum claims.

All arrivals in the bloc will now be subject to fingerprints and photos to screen for threats to public security, the EU said.

2.     Management at external borders

The EU wants to introduce a new system to set up "fast and efficient and streamlined procedures for asylum and return, as well as strong safeguards."

For instance, explained Schinas in a press conference, applicants who come from a country with an asylum recognition rate in the EU of less than 20%, or a country decided to be a public security risk, will be subject to these increased border checks.

3.     Adequate reception standards

This will include earlier access to the labor market for asylum seekers, the EU said, as well as physical and mental healthcare and more protection for families, children and vulnerable applicants.

4.     Fair, efficient and convergent asylum procedures

The EU aims to streamline the asylum procedure regulation and the qualification regulation of individual asylum applications across Europe. That means, they say, reinforcing safeguards, rights and guarantees for applicants and beneficiaries.

5.     Efficient and fair returns

The role of the EU's new 'return coordinator', set up in 2022, will be expanded to ensure that those who do not have the right to stay in the EU are effectively returned.

6.     Making 'new responsibility rules' work

The EU is aiming for all member states to share the responsibilities of taking in asylum seekers and to try and reduce incentives for secondary movements. They say they hope procedures will be made "more effective" when effective "take back" notifications are put in place.

This is essentially an extension of the Dublin regulation, which requires states to "take back" asylum seekers to the EU state of first entry.

7.     Making solidarity work

In addition to this, the new rules around the "solidarity mechanism," the EU hopes, will "ensure that no member state is left alone when under pressure." Some states in the EU, including Poland and Hungary, have already spoken out against this mechanism.

8.     Preparedness, contingency planning and crisis response

The EU is hoping to build "more resilience" into its systems to meet any "evolution of migrant situations" and to try and mitigate against situations becoming "crises."

9.     New safeguards for asylum applicants

There will be "increased monitoring of fundamental rights" to ensure that asylum applicants and vulnerable people are protected and their human dignity remains intact.

10. Resettlement, inclusion and integration

EU members will be stepping up efforts of integration and inclusion of migrants in their countries.

With dpa