As the Deputy will be aware Ireland has opted in to the EU Asylum and Migration Pact which is due to enter operation in June 2026. The Pact will provide a fair, sustainable and efficient asylum procedure. This will be achieved through convergence in asylum practices across the EU.
The EU Migration and Asylum Pact has been designed to enhance the Common European Asylum System and that is based on solidarity, responsibility, and respect for human rights.
My Department continues to focus on preparing for the implementation of the Pact in advance of June 2026.
On 11 November, the Commission published the first European Annual Asylum and Migration Report, the Commission Implementing Decision on Migratory Pressure, and a proposal for a Council Implementing Decision on the Annual Solidarity Pool which make up the first Annual Migration Management Cycle.
Under the solidarity mechanism
Member States will contribute to a Solidarity Pool on the basis of a proportional “fair share” principle (based on the formula 50% population and 50% GDP). It is very important to clarify that the “fair share” contribution for Ireland would apply to the solidarity pool to be established, not to the total number of asylum applications across the EU.
Member States will have discretion on the type of solidarity they contribute. This can take the form of relocations, financial contributions or alternative solidarity measures such as deployment of personnel.
I have decided that Ireland will not be accepting relocations given the pressures on our system but will make a financial contribution to support the EU Member States under the most extreme pressure.
In the Commission Implementing Decision on Migratory Pressure, Ireland was deemed to be ‘At Risk of Migratory Pressure’ and will have priority access to the EU Migration Support Toolbox. The Commission's assessment that Ireland is at risk of migratory pressure is in recognition of the fact that a significant proportion of international protection applicants enter the country arriving across the land border with Northern Ireland, together with the significant arrivals of persons benefitting from temporary protection.
The EU Migration Support toolbox offers tailor-made support to Member States including operational and technical support by EU bodies, offices and agencies; financial support and support to facilitate return and reintegration activities.
