A broad majority of MEPs endorsed the mandate, drawn up by the Civil Liberties Committee, in a vote on Thursday (390 to 175, with 44 abstentions). Parliament can now begin talks with the Council as soon as EU member states have agreed their own negotiating position.

The proposed changes to the Dublin rules aim to remedy weaknesses in the current system and ensure that all EU countries accept their fair share of responsibility for hosting asylum seekers in the EU.

Under the reform, the country in which an asylum seeker first arrives would no longer be automatically responsible for processing his or her asylum application. Instead, asylum seekers should be shared among all EU countries, by being swiftly and automatically relocated to another EU country.

EU member states that do not accept their fair share of asylum seekers should face the risk of having their access to EU funds reduced.

Read more about Parliament’s position in this background note.