The reshaping of the Safe Third Country Approach under the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum: Türkiye's position and normative implications (2024–2026)

Öz

This study examines how the EU’s 2024 migration and asylum pact reshapes the concept of a “safe third country” (STC) and explores the potential implications of that shift for Türkiye between 2024 and 2026. The analysis follows two tracks. First, it explores how the Pact's procedural and return-related instruments, especially screening, expanded border procedures and a border return procedure, may increase incentives for inadmissibility decisions and third-country transfers. Second, it analyses how this shift may interact with the EU–Türkiye readmission regime and with Article 74 of Law No. 6458 on Foreigners and International Protection (LFIP), the latter of which codifies STC criteria in domestic law. Methodologically, the paper relies on comparative legal analysis and document review. Core EU instruments are examined alongside Turkish legislation and selected case law from the ECtHR and the CJEU. Policy reports are used to identify areas of risk relating to non-refoulement and the right to an effective remedy. The main finding is that the Pact strengthens the operational value of the STC logic through the combined use of accelerated procedures, border processing and fast return channels. However, the practical impact will depend on the quality of the safeguards in place, including effective protection standards, connection requirements, individualised assessments and judicial review with suspensive effect. For Türkiye, the STC debate concerns not only external relations but also domestic procedural guarantees and rule-of-law oversight in inadmissibility and removal decisions.  

Anahtar Kelimeler

• European Union
• Migration and Asylum Pact
• Safe Third Country
• Readmission
• Non-refoulement

Kaynakça

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