STOCKHOLM, January 8, 2026 – Sweden‘s Discrimination Ombudsman (DO) is raising serious concerns that proposed changes to the country’s implementation of the EU’s Migration and Asylum Pact could significantly curtail rights for asylum seekers and increase the risk of discrimination. The DO argues the planned reforms prioritize speed over fairness, perhaps leaving vulnerable individuals without adequate legal protections.
Sweeping Asylum Changes Face Discrimination Concerns
Proposed EU pact implementation in Sweden risks limiting access to rights and increasing detention of asylum seekers.
- The DO believes the new, accelerated asylum process may lack legal security and standardization.
- Restrictions on appeal rights and legal assistance are major points of contention.
- A lack of thorough impact analysis, especially regarding intersectional discrimination, is criticized.
- The DO urges the government to strengthen oversight and fully implement changes to the Discrimination Act.
The inquiry tasked with adapting the EU pact to Swedish law was specifically directed to propose an implementation offering the lowest level of protection permitted under EU regulations. According to the DO, this approach, combined with other proposed changes in migration policy, creates substantial risks of discrimination and limits access to equal rights and opportunities for those seeking protection.
“DO sees great risks that the new accelerated asylum process will become legally secure and standardized,” said Discrimination Ombudsman Lars Arrhenius. “This will mainly affect particularly vulnerable people who are at risk of being discriminated against. The proposal also means that many more asylum seekers than today will be placed in detention-like environments simply because they are seeking asylum.”
What are the specific concerns regarding the proposed changes? The DO’s consultation response highlights significant restrictions on fundamental rights,including the right to appeal decisions. These rights are either being fully removed or severely limited by drastically shortening appeal timelines, coupled with reduced access to legal assistance.
Furthermore, the DO criticizes the investigation’s impact analysis as incomplete. A key deficiency is the absence of an intersectional analysis examining how discrimination based on ethnic affiliation interacts with other forms of discrimination. The DO contends that without such an analysis,a thorough assessment of the proposals’ discriminatory risks and their compatibility with Sweden’s international human rights commitments is impossible.
“With the short referral period in this case, it has also not been possible for DO, or for other relevant authorities or organizations in civil society, to contribute their knowledge in a way that compensates for the lack of a consequence analysis in these parts,” Arrhenius added.
The DO asserts that the proposals carry a high risk of discrimination and emphasizes the critical need for effective oversight of the entire regulatory framework. This oversight must include mechanisms for individuals to report discrimination. The DO therefore urges the government to swiftly implement previously proposed amendments to the Discrimination Act, ensuring its supervisory powers extend to all public activities, including those of the Migration agency and the swedish Police Agency.
The full referral response can be found he
