At 00:00 CET on 12 June the European Union’s long-debated Pact on Migration and Asylum entered into force, launching a two-year implementation countdown for member states. Agence Europe’s 13 June bulletin confirms that France has already adopted Decree 2026-454 of 6 June amending its Code de l’entrée et du séjour des étrangers (CESEDA) to align with new screening and solidarity obligations. Key changes for France include mandatory biometric enrolment for all asylum applicants aged six and over, accelerated border-procedure timelines for manifestly unfounded claims, and a legal basis for redistributing up to 3 000 migrants annually to partner states under the EU’s solidarity pool. The Office français de l’immigration et de l’intégration (OFII) must issue reasoned decisions that respect the Pact’s procedural-guarantee articles. For multinational employers, the most immediate impact lies in the overhaul of detention-centre capacity and the possible re-prioritisation of prefecture staffing. HR directors seeking fast-track work permits may experience longer lead times in departments diverting officers to asylum-screening duties. Law firms anticipate a surge of litigation before the National Asylum Court as the new, stricter deadlines are tested. The Commission promises detailed operational guides by October, but interior-ministry sources in Paris say pilot programmes at Roissy and Marseille airports will start as early as August. Airlines operating to France will have to update carrier-liability training materials to reflect the new pre-boarding document-verification rules arising from the Pact’s screening Regulation. Civil-society groups caution that rapid procedures risk due-process breaches, while business lobbies welcome clearer rules that could eventually free prefecture capacity for labour-migration files once initial backlogs subside.
Source: Agence Europe
