In March 2025, ECRE carried out a fact-finding visit to Romania, to examine the current situation in the asylum system and the preparations (legislation and infrastructure) considering the upcoming application of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum. The report drafted following this visit focused on:
- access to asylum procedures,
- the use of border and accelerated procedures,
- reception and detention conditions and
- access to socio-economic rights for asylum applicants and beneficiaries of protection.
ECRE concluded that, while there are relatively short processing times, good co-operation between authorities and civil society, and an overall protection-oriented approach, there are challenges that might be exacerbated after the application of the Pact:
- The quality of interpretation, which needs improvements;
- The timely provision of legal counselling, an area where ECRE recommended the authorities to guarantee independent legal counselling.
- The timely identification of vulnerable applicants during screening and border procedures, thus further reinforcement of vulnerability screening is needed.
- Detention conditions, especially at the Otopeni detention centre, where “improvements in infrastructure, privacy and access to basic services are urgently needed”.
- “Understaffing, underfunded integration services and limited access to language courses and healthcare undermine the longer-term inclusion of asylum applicants and beneficiaries of international protection”.
- Funding halted for extended periods of time for civil society led to impossibility for NGOs to fill in these gaps.
ECRE also highlighted that “safeguards relating to access to information, legal counselling and independent monitoring will be critical” while at the same time the Pact might create an opportunity for strengthening the existing system as long as EU funds are adequately allocated.