European union Interior ministers have finally reached an agreement on the Asylum Procedures Directive. The agreement came hours before the 1 May deadline set by the Amsterdam Treaty to establish the first phase of the Common European Asylum System.

Member States agreed on the concept of a list of safe countries of origin.

Asylum applicants coming from a country in the list of safe countries of origin will have their application processed via a fast track procedure. There will be an assessment of countries which may be included in such a list in the coming months. Besides Bulgaria and Romania, the provisional list contains Benin, Botswana, Cape Verde, Costa Rica, Ghana, Mali, Senegal, Chile, Uruguay and Mauritius. Member States will also be able to deny access to an asylum application in the EU if asylum seekers have travelled via safe third countries.