Launch of EPC-authored report for the Dutch House of Representatives

The Dutch House of Representatives commissioned EPC to carry out research on the implementation of the New Pact on Migration and Asylum in the Netherlands and select EU Member States. EPC can now share its insights through the republishing of the report below, initially published by the Dutch House of Representatives on 7 October 2026.

The New Pact on Migration and Asylum has introduced the most significant reform of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) in over a decade. The reformed rules, which entered into application on 12 June 2026, are intended to address long-standing weaknesses in the CEAS, including persistent secondary movements, limited execution of responsibility transfers, uneven reception conditions and tensions between responsibility and solidarity. The Pact does not fundamentally replace the previous system. Rather, it seeks to make it more balanced, coherent and enforceable. It introduces a mandatory screening, expands the role of border procedures, strengthens monitoring through the revised Eurodac system, facilitates the execution of responsibility transfers, establishes a mandatory but flexible solidarity mechanism and enhances convergence of reception systems.

At the same time, the Pact introduces a new governance system and strengthens interdependencies between different components of the reformed CEAS. Illustrating this, to benefit from solidarity provisions, member states will have to maintain well-prepared asylum and reception systems and fulfil their screening and border processing obligations. Due to these interdependencies, implementation in one country will affect asylum and reception systems elsewhere.

Against this background, this Report seeks to answer the central question of how implementation dynamics in other member states will shape the practical consequences of the Pact reforms for the Netherlands. The Report examines this question by comparing legal and administrative adaptations as well as operational developments in the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy and Spain.

The Report also provides detailed answers to the following four sub-questions:

• Where is implementation proceeding smoothly, and where is it stalling?
• What are the underlying factors contributing to success and failure in each member state (legal, administrative, political, operational)?
• To what extent could implementation problems elsewhere affect the consistency and feasibility of the Pact at European level?
• What risks and lessons are relevant for the Netherlands?

Click here to read the full report.

Virginie Jacob is a Senior Advisor on Migration and Diversity at the European Policy Centre

Helena Hahn is a Policy Analyst within the European Diversity and Migration programme.

This Report is based on research carried out by the European Policy Centre (EPC) for the Dutch House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal). The research was commissioned to provide the Dutch House of Representatives, and in particular its Standing Committee on Asylum and Migration, with comparative insights into the implementation of the New Pact on Migration and Asylum in the Netherlands and select EU Member States.
 

The findings reflect the evidence available during the research period, prior to June 2026. The research was conducted independently by the EPC, and the views and analysis presented are those of the authors. They should not be understood as representing the official position of the Dutch House of Representatives.
 

The Report was first published by the Dutch House of Representatives. Its republication on the EPC website is intended to contribute to informed public and policy debate on the implementation of the reforms to the Common European Asylum System.
 

The support the EPC receives for its ongoing operations, or for its publications specifically, does not constitute an endorsement of their contents, which reflect the views of the author only. Supporters and partners cannot be held responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.

The image on this page adapts a photograph by Husky licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY 4.0).