Safe countries of origin are those whose citizens do not have to fear state persecution, according to assessments by the German government or the European Union. Whether such assessments are accurate is a matter for debate that often ends up in court.

Last week, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that EU countries are allowed to designate safe countries of origin to fast-track asylum procedures if authorities disclose the sources for their assessment. The court also found that for a country to be designated as safe, it must offer adequate protection to the entire population, including minorities.

The Luxembourg-based court also said that while having a fast-track procedure does not violate EU law, the designation of safe countries must be subject to judicial scrutiny so migrants can challenge decisions made on their asylum claims.

Germany has its own list of safe countries of origin. Asylum seekers from these countries hardly stand a chance of being granted asylum in Germany. Currently, eight European non-EU and two African countries are on this list.

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The new German coalition government of center-right Christian Democrats and Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) and the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) had agreed to add more countries to........

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