The EU Will Review Asylum Applications from Russians Under a Fast-Track Procedure. Rights Advocates Say This Threatens a Rise in Rejections

The EU will review asylum applications from Russians under a fast-track procedure. Rights advocates say this threatens a rise in rejections

New EU asylum rules take effect on June 12: expedited review of applications from citizens of countries whose average approval rate for international protection in the EU is 20% or lower is becoming mandatory. The Insider writes about this.

The list of such countries is compiled by Eurostat based on statistical data, and it includes Russia at 18.1%.

Asylum applications from citizens of these countries may now be reviewed more quickly, including immediately after initial screening at the EU border. This means the entire procedure may take up to three months.

In an extremely compressed timeframe and without legal assistance, the burden falls on the applicant to prove that they are genuinely threatened with political persecution because of their civic or political activity,

human rights advocate Darya Dudley told the outlet.

The publication writes that the new regulation provides exceptions for certain categories of applicants for whom country-level statistics do not reflect the risks.

Politician Andrei Pivovarov told The Insider that, on behalf of the “consuls” of the Anti-War Committee of Russia, he had appealed to the European Union Agency for Asylum with a request to prepare separate guidance on Russia.

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