Cyprus is among five European Union member states that have adopted most of the national legislation required to implement the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, according to a European Commission report published on Friday.
The report, titled Progress on the Implementation of the Pact on Migration and Asylum, identified Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Germany, Ireland and Slovakia as the countries that have made the greatest progress in establishing the core legislative framework required under the pact.
Based on the report’s findings, the Commission also adopted an implementing decision classifying member states according to levels of migration pressure. Cyprus, Greece, Italy and Spain were listed as countries currently under migration pressure.
Belgium, Bulgaria, Estonia, Germany, Ireland, France, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland and Finland were classified as being at risk of migration pressure.
Biometric database
The Commission said the adoption of the necessary national legislation is continuing across member states with support from its contact committees, which provide guidance and respond to questions arising during implementation.
According to the report, at least 11 member states currently have relevant draft legislation undergoing parliamentary procedures, while most others are in the final stages of preparing the necessary proposals.
The report identified the operation of the EU’s central biometric database, Eurodac, as critical to the operational implementation of the pact. By mid-April 2026, 11 member states, including Cyprus, had stated that they were fully on track to begin operating the new system by June.
The other countries were Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Greece, Malta, Romania, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
Transitional period
The Commission said further action is still required to ensure the pact becomes fully operational, particularly in relation to border procedures, preventing secondary movements, responsibility and transfer rules, and the implementation of mechanisms to monitor fundamental rights.
Full implementation of the Pact on Migration and Asylum is scheduled for June 12, 2026, following a two-year transitional period.
In a parallel communication issued on Friday, the Commission said implementation of the pact had reached an advanced stage, although additional efforts were needed to complete all operational and institutional elements before its full entry into force.
It said member states had already achieved significant progress, with key pillars of the new framework now operational. At EU level, the Annual Solidarity Framework has also been activated for the first time, which the Commission described as a central component of the bloc’s new migration management architecture.
Solidarity mechanism
Despite the progress, the Commission warned that preparedness levels remain uneven among member states, requiring targeted measures to ensure full operational implementation.
Particular emphasis was placed on the installation and testing of the new Eurodac system, the development of infrastructure for border checks and screening procedures, and strengthening mechanisms to prevent secondary movements within the EU.
The Commission also highlighted the need for further progress on responsibility and transfer rules, activation of the solidarity mechanism and implementation of the relevant legal safeguards, including the monitoring system for fundamental rights.
It added that while the launch of the pact would represent a major milestone, it would not mark the completion of the reform process, as the new framework would require continued operational efforts beyond June 2026.
Measurable results
The Commission said it is already providing substantial financial and technical support to member states in cooperation with several EU agencies, including the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA), eu-LISA, Frontex, Europol and the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA).
A total of €3 billion has been allocated both for implementation of the pact and for temporary protection measures for people displaced by the war in Ukraine.
The report also stated that the EU’s diplomatic engagement with third countries on migration was producing measurable results, with irregular crossings at the bloc’s external borders falling by 26 per cent in 2025 compared with the previous year.
European Commission Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen said the pact represented a major milestone in establishing a common European framework for migration and asylum.
Deeper cooperation
She said implementation was progressing according to schedule, while stressing the need for continued efforts to ensure all member states are fully prepared.
European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner said the EU was entering the final phase of what he described as the largest reform of the bloc’s asylum and migration system.
He highlighted stronger protection of external borders, faster and more efficient processing of asylum applications and deeper cooperation with third countries, adding that the pact marked “not the end of the process, but the beginning.”
CNA
