Sixteen human rights groups have warned that the European Commission’s proposal to classify Egypt as a “safe country of origin” risks violating asylum seekers’ rights and breaching EU human rights obligations.
In a joint statement issued on Tuesday, the groups critizied the Commission’s proposal to create a bloc-wide list of "safe countries of origin," warning it would fast-track asylum claims and deny applicants a fair, individual assesment.
"This measure risks severely undermining the rights of asylum seekers and weakening the EU’s commitments to international protection standards," said the statement.
Despite acknowledging human rights concerns in Egypt, the Commission concluded they did not amount to persecution or serious harm under EU law. The signatories dismissed this as incompatible with rulings by European and international courts, and inconsistent with verified findings from UN experts and civil society organizations.
The statement cited widespread violations in Egypt, including restrictions on freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, arbitrary detention, torture, and enforced disappearances. It also highlighted the use of counterterrorism laws to target journalists, activists and opposition figures.
According to the statement, UN experts have previously raised concerns about Egypt’s asylum law for falling short of international standards. Drafted without proper consultation, the law criminalizes irregular entry, lacks safeguards against forced return, and exposes asylum seekers to detention and deportation.
The signatories cited recent cases involving Uyghur, Sudanese, and Eritrean nationals as examples of these risks.
Efforts by Egypt, including President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi's 2023 National Human Rights Strategy and National Dialogue, have been dismissed as superficial, according to a statement. Independent assessments found no substantive progress in rule of law or human rights safeguards, pointing to persistent repression, judicial intervention, and arbitrary detentions, the statement noted.
Designating Egypt as “safe,” the groups said, would ignore this record and put lives at risk, in breach of the EU’s non-refoulement obligations.
The signatories urged the European Council and Parliament to reject the Commission’s proposal to amend Regulation (EU) 2024/1348, which would apply the “safe country of origin” label to Egypt.
The statement also called for a comprehensive reassessment of Egypt’s rights record based on credible reporting from UN mechanisms, EU agencies, and civil society. It also called for mandatory consultation procedures and regular reviews of any such designations, with strong parliamentary oversight and civil society input.
"Upholding the credibility and integrity of the EU’s asylum system requires that human rights, not political convenience, guide decisions on country designations," the statement said.
The EU’s stance on Egypt has drawn criticism from rights groups, who accuse it of overlooking the country’s human rights record.
In a letter to the EU on June 13, 16 Egyptian and international organizations demanded that the EU abide by international and EU law by taking into account the human rights issue in the grants provided to Egypt.
In December, the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights submitted 35 observations to the UN during Egypt’s Universal Periodic Review, detailingabuses in prisons, arbitrary arrests, restrictions on religious freedom and gender equality.
The statement was signed by Arab Network for Knowledge about Human Rights (ANKH), Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE), Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS), Dfater Masr, Digital Democracy, Egyptian Front for Human Rights (EFHR), Egyptian Human Rights Forum (EHRF), EgyptWide for Human Rights, Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), EuroMed Rights, FairSquare, Law and Democracy Support Foundation (LDSF), REDWORD for Human Rights & Freedom of Expression, Sinai Foundation for Human Rights, the Regional Coalition for Women Human Rights Defenders in South West Asia and North Africa (WHRDMENA), and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT).
