The European People's Party (EPP), the largest political family in the European Parliament, is set to endorse a controversial proposal that would allow EU member states to suspend the right to apply for asylum during so-called 'hybrid attacks' – situations where third countries deliberately facilitate large-scale migration to destabilise a European border.
Under the plan, migrants arriving in such circumstances could be turned back without an individual assessment of their asylum claims. This would effectively legalise collective pushbacks, a practice currently prohibited under EU law and repeatedly condemned by human rights organisations.
The measure is expected to be included in a resolution to be adopted at the EPP's political assembly in Toulouse on Tuesday, according to several party sources. The text, seen by Euronews, calls on member states to 'adopt an additional protocol on asylum and migration authorising the refusal of entry or return without an individual asylum procedure for illegal migrants used in hybrid attacks.'
The resolution cites the situation in Ceuta, the Spanish exclave on the North African coast, where around 80,000 people entered irregularly at the end of July, with several thousand still living on the streets. The European Parliament has previously described that episode as a 'hybrid attack and instrumentalisation of migrants.'
'Similar cases require a response that goes beyond the current instruments designed to address migratory flows,' the resolution argues.
Part of a broader emergency framework
The proposal could become part of the new 'European Emergency Response Framework' announced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in her State of the Union speech, which aims to address irregular arrivals more decisively. Some EU countries, notably those on the eastern and southern flanks, have already temporarily suspended the right to seek asylum in response to perceived hybrid threats.
However, the plan has drawn sharp criticism from left-wing politicians and migration experts, who argue that collective pushbacks violate fundamental rights and the Geneva Convention. 'This is a dangerous erosion of the right to asylum,' said a spokesperson for the European Council on Refugees and Exiles. 'It treats people as weapons rather than as individuals fleeing persecution.'
Despite internal dissent, a senior EPP member told Euronews: 'There are some delegations against it, but the majority of the party is on board.' The EPP's influence means the proposal could shape future EU legislation, as the party's positions often feed into Commission initiatives and Parliament resolutions.
In the current legislative term, the EPP has adopted a tougher stance on migration, backing legislation to deport asylum seekers and irregular migrants to third countries with no connection to them. The party's push for a new protocol comes as EU ministers are seeking a joint response to Russian hybrid sabotage, including the weaponisation of migration on the EU's eastern borders.
The debate over asylum rights is likely to intensify as the EU moves forward on a hybrid threat protocol, wary of overlapping with NATO's remit. The EPP's proposal, if adopted, would mark a significant shift in EU asylum policy, potentially setting a precedent for other member states to follow.
Critics warn that the measure could undermine the EU's commitment to human rights and international law. 'The EU was built on the principle of protecting those in need,' said a migration law expert. 'Collective pushbacks are not only illegal but also morally indefensible.'
As the EPP gathers in Toulouse, the resolution is expected to pass with a comfortable majority, setting the stage for a contentious debate in the European Parliament and among member states.
