As the EU's Dublin system concludes on June 12, replaced by the new Pact on Migration and Asylum, recent data suggests its actual impact on asylum seeker distribution was more equitable than its widely criticized reputation implied. An analysis of over half a million Dublin transfers between 2008 and 2024 indicates that the system, despite its flaws and criticism for disadvantaging first-entry countries, facilitated a slight redistribution of responsibilities among member states. This effect emerged not from design but from member states' practices, including asylum seekers moving onward and selective application of transfers, which often shifted responsibility away from high-pressure southern states towards less burdened northern and western nations. The new pact aims for formalised solidarity but risks similar unintended consequences if not carefully monitored.