Greece, Cyprus, Spain and Italy will be eligible countries for the EU’s solidarity fund in case of stress after the EU’s Migration and Asylum Act comes into force in mid-2026, the .
The Commission has published the First European Annual Report on Asylum and Migration, which it has drawn up in the framework of the Pact on Migration and Asylum.
The Report launches the first Annual Migration Management Cycle which aims to provide a comprehensive picture of the asylum and migration situation in the EU, identify migration situations facing Member States and propose an Annual Solidarity Tank, to be adopted by the Council.
Greece, Cyprus, Spain and Italy will be eligible states to access the “Solidarity Pool”, the EU’s solidarity tool for member states under migratory pressure, when the Pact comes into force in mid-2026.
The situation
The Report shows a continued improvement in the migration situation during the reporting period (July 2024 to June 2025), with illegal border crossings falling by 35%, “thanks also to enhanced cooperation with partner countries”, as the Report states.
At the same time, the Commission notes that across the Union, Member States face various migration situations and pressures.
According to the Report, “Greece and Cyprus are under migratory pressure due to the disproportionate number of arrivals in the last year”. Spain and Italy are under a lot of pressure due to the disproportionate number of arrivals following search and rescue operations at sea during the same period.
These four Member States (Greece, Cyprus, Spain and Italy) will be eligible to access the “Solidarity Pool”, the EU’s solidarity tool for Member States under migratory pressure, when the Pact comes into force in mid-2026.
Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Estonia, Ireland, France, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland and Finland are at risk of migration pressure, “either due to high numbers of arrivals in the previous year, ongoing pressures on their reception systems or the threat of instrumentalisation of migration”, which could create disproportionate liabilities in the coming year.
Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Croatia, Austria and Poland, which face a “significant migration situation”, will be able to deduct contributions from the Solidarity Fund for next year, according to the Commission’s plan.
Solidarity Tank
The Commission proposes the establishment of the first “Solidarity Tank” to address the needs of Member States under migratory pressure.
The Council will approve the Commission’s proposal and will have to agree on the size of the “Solidarity Tank” and how each member state will contribute.
Member States are free to choose the form of their solidarity contributions, between human solidarity (relocation or offsetting, if applicable), financial support and alternative measures or a combination of these measures.
