The European Commission’s latest report says the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum is close to full application on 12 June 2026, after a two-year transition.
It presents the Pact as a major overhaul of EU migration, asylum, border management, and integration rules, built around a balance between solidarity and responsibility.
Readiness Remains Uneven
According to the Commission document, titled “State of play on the implementation of the Pact on Migration and Asylum,” there is “considerable progress,” with many EU members adapting national laws, establishing screening and border procedures, increasing reception capacity, reducing asylum backlogs, and preparing for responsibility transfers and solidarity pledges.
Roundtable Source: European Union
It also notes wider progress, including the first Solidarity Pool, implementing rules for the Asylum and Migration Management Regulation, and EUR 3 billion in EU funding support.
The 8 May briefing’s strongest message is that readiness remains uneven and urgent work is still needed before June.
“EU agencies, in particular the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA), the European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (eu-LISA), Frontex, Europol and the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), continue to closely cooperate with the Commission and the Member States to support the reform process,” states the Commission.
Key gaps include completing national legislation and testing and deploying Eurodac, the European fingerprint database for identifying asylum seekers and irregular border-crossers.
Also, accelerating procurement and construction for screening and border-procedure facilities; ensuring adequate capacity and staffing, preventing absconding and secondary movements, improving readmission cooperation with third countries, and putting legal safeguards in place, including fundamental-rights monitoring and free legal counselling.
The Commission also highlights progress on revised safe-third-country rules and an EU safe-countries-of-origin list, while calling for faster agreement on the proposed Return Regulation.
The report highlights that Germany still lacks the resources for initial asylum seeker screenings, including required health checks, and must resolve these issues by the June deadline.
Under the Pact, Ireland remains outside Schengen but commits to interoperability on databases and solidarity pledges. Dublin, therefore, faces a tight timeline to finalise IT connections and expand reception space for potential relocation beneficiaries.
Countries with EU external borders such as Bulgaria, Greece and Italy also lack capacity, according to the report. They are among the countries that register the highest number of irregular border crossings, according to figures from the EU border agency Frontex.
Hungary is the only member state that has not yet submitted an emergency plan to the EU asylum agency, EUAA. Hungary also apparently lacks capacity-building or systems that have not yet been integrated. Regarding the solidarity mechanism, Hungary (together with Slovakia) has thus far refused to participate. It’s unclear whether the newly elected prime minister, Peter Magyar, will give up this destructive stance.
Who are the High Achievers? Who Falls Behind?
As of mid-April 2026, eleven Member States had reported being fully on track to start working within the new Eurodac system by June. These are, among others, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Spain and Sweden—countries exposed to migration.
The other sixteen EU states reported that they still face different challenges, but they expect to be able to solve the outstanding issues on time.
The main challenges faced by the member states are delays in national procurement procedures, with eleven nations declaring that they will be relying on the centralized solution developed by eu-LISA.
The European Commission classified member states in connection to migratory pressure as follows: under migratory pressure: Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Spain; at risk of migratory pressure: Belgium, Bulgaria, Estonia, Germany, Ireland, France, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Finland; facing a significant migratory situation: Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Croatia, Austria, and Poland.
Overall, the Commission concludes that EU institutions, agencies, and Member States have made significant progress, but the Pact’s practical success depends on closing operational gaps quickly. It singles out Eurodac, screening, mandatory border procedures, responsibility rules, and national legal adjustments as essentials that must be ready in June.
The Commission says implementation will not end when the Pact starts applying: further work will continue after June, especially on the Solidarity Pool, preparedness, returns, safeguards, and integration support.
