Representatives of around 18 European countries meet in Munich on Saturday, 26 September, for informal talks on simplifying asylum and migration procedures. The discussions come ahead of a formal meeting of EU home affairs ministers on 1 October, where the European Commission will provide an update on implementation of the Migration and Asylum Pact.
The Munich meeting has no power to amend EU law. Any changes to the legislative acts making up the Pact would have to go through the relevant EU procedures. It is nevertheless an early indication that several governments want to revisit parts of the system after only a short period of practical experience.
The Pact’s main rules began applying on 12 June 2026. They cover border screening, registration, asylum procedures, responsibility for applications, solidarity between member states, reception conditions and returns.
Among the subjects being discussed ahead of Saturday’s meeting are reportedly simpler asylum procedures, wider use of information held in Eurodac and circumstances in which international protection can be withdrawn. Governments are also examining whether artificial-intelligence-based interpretation could be given a clearer legal basis in asylum processing.
Those ideas remain proposals for discussion rather than agreed EU policy. The broader direction, however, is already visible. The Pact was intended partly to accelerate decisions at the external border and make it easier to return people who do not have a right to remain in the EU.
Separately, the Council and European Parliament have been working on a new EU Return Regulation intended to replace the existing directive. The return debate forms part of the same effort to make removal decisions more effective, but it is legally distinct from the Migration Pact itself.
The first formal institutional test comes on 1 October. According to the Council agenda, ministers will receive an oral Commission update on implementation of the Pact, discuss readmission cooperation with priority non-EU countries and review migration situational awareness and early-warning capabilities.
