It should be possible to designate a third country as safe country of origin with exceptions for specific parts of its territory or clearly identifiable categories of persons. In addition, the fact that a third country is included in a list of safe countries of origin cannot establish an absolute guarantee of safety for nationals of that country, even for those who do not belong to a category of persons for which such an exception is made, and therefore does not dispense with the need to conduct an appropriate individual examination of the application for international protection. By its very nature, the assessment underlying the designation can only take into account the general, civil, legal and political circumstances in that country and whether actors of persecution, torture or inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment are subject to sanction in practice when found liable in that country. For this reason, it should be possible to apply the concept of a safe country of origin only where the applicant cannot provide elements justifying why the concept of safe country of origin is not applicable to him or her, in the framework of an individual assessment.