Luxembourg speeds up decisions on migrants

Luxembourg's Minister of the Interior, Léon Gloden, has presented a bill aimed at implementing the European Pact on Migration and Asylum at the national level. This issue is particularly important for the Grand Duchy: the country ranks second in the EU in terms of the number of migrants received per capita, third in terms of the number of secondary movements within the Union, and sixth in terms of the number of asylum applications per capita in 2024. These figures make Luxembourg one of the most involved countries in the European migration system.

Back in December 2024, the government outlined the key areas of change necessary for the implementation of the pact, most of whose provisions will come into force on 12 June. These include adjustments to infrastructure, the legal framework and digital tools. The pact itself provides for the harmonisation of asylum procedures, tighter controls at the EU's external borders and the introduction of mandatory solidarity between Member States.

One of the central elements of the reform will be a review of the approach to accepting migrants and speeding up return procedures for those who do not meet the criteria for protection. According to Léon Gloden, the new European document logically continues the government's course of "responsible immigration and asylum policy." He emphasises that those who are entitled to protection should be granted status and integrated into society as quickly as possible, while the prolonged stay of people with no prospects of legalisation is considered ineffective for both them and the state.

In this context, the minister has praised the work of the Maison du retour volontaire (House of Voluntary Return). The facility has capacity for 170 people, but currently houses around 60. The programme provides migrants with specialist support and assistance in returning to their country of origin or a third country, with the opportunity to start a new life. At the same time, the authorities emphasise that in cases where voluntary return is not possible, the procedure of forced expulsion will be applied.