The European Union’s new Pact on Migration and Asylum enters into full application this Friday, after a two-year transition period following its final approval.

Presented by the European Commission as the most significant reform of the EU’s migration framework since the 2015 crisis, the system aims to combine faster border controls, accelerated asylum procedures, and a ‘mandatory solidarity mechanism’ among member states.

However, the Pact’s entry into force has been accompanied by an intense political offensive from Europe’s leading patriotic and sovereigntist parties, which argue that the reform fails to solve the problem of illegal migration and further consolidates the transfer of powers to Brussels.

The Patriots for Europe group published a strongly worded statement on Friday, rejecting the new migration framework outright. “Defending a nation’s borders is not a crime and should not be punished with fines,” the group said in a message released to coincide with the Pact’s entry into force.

In its official declaration, the Patriots group argues that the system “does not stop illegal migration at Europe’s external borders; it administers it.” The group also accuses European institutions of reviving mandatory redistribution mechanisms and forcing states either to accept migrants or assume financial contributions. According to the statement, the Pact constitutes “a regime of punishment aimed at the nations that try to defend themselves.”

The main criticism revolves around the so-called solidarity mechanism. The new regulation allows member states to contribute through accepting relocated migrants, operational support, or financial contributions equivalent to around €20,000 for each applicant who is not accepted in the member state. Although these are not legally classified as criminal fines, opponents argue that the practical outcome is essentially the same.

From France, Marine Le Pen warned on the eve of the Pact’s implementation that it “will force European Union states to accept migrants under threat of financial penalties.” The leader of the Rassemblement National also reiterated her pledge to hold a constitutional referendum on immigration should she come to power.

This is not a new position. Months earlier, she had denounced the Pact for “trampling on the sovereignty of nations” by allowing quotas to be determined at the European level and had called for France to obtain exemptions similar to those granted to other countries.

In Spain, Santiago Abascal directly linked the new system to migration policies promoted by Brussels and national governments. “The so-called European migration pact of the Popular Party and the Socialists consists of Brussels pursuing and fining states that defend their borders,” the VOX leader stated.

VOX’s delegation in the European Parliament has also focused part of its criticism on the recent extraordinary regularization approved by the Spanish government. According to Jorge Buxadé, the measure “invalidates” the Pact itself and calls into question the common management of the EU’s external borders.

Criticism is also coming from Germany. AfD co-leader Alice Weidel has intensified her attacks in recent weeks against what she describes as mass immigration into European welfare systems, arguing that current policies continue to encourage the arrival of new asylum seekers.

The European Commission argues precisely the opposite. Brussels maintains that the new system will make it possible to identify arrivals at the borders more quickly, accelerate returns, and distribute responsibilities among member states.

The reality is that the real test begins now. The effective implementation of the Pact will depend on the willingness of national governments, the Commission’s ability to enforce the new obligations, and the response of countries that have already announced they will not accept certain aspects of the mechanism.