EU Adopts New Rules on Returns and Deportations
According to various media reports, the European Parliament voted yesterday on new rules for returns and deportations . 418 members of Parliament voted in favor of the proposed Return Regulation, 218 voted against it, and 30 abstained.
The goal of the new regulation is to ensure that the return of people without the right to reside in the EU is carried out more quickly and consistently. In addition, Member States are to cooperate more closely and be able to more easily recognize return decisions made by other EU countries.
A controversial part of the decision concerns the so-called “return hubs.” These are repatriation centers located outside the European Union. With this decision, the EU is establishing the legal basis that allows member states to set up such centers in third countries.
Who is supposed to be housed in return hubs?
According to current plans, return hubs are to be used for people who do not have the right to reside in the EU but cannot be returned directly to their country of origin. The centers are intended to serve as a temporary stopover until deportation or onward travel to another safe third country can be arranged.
This would primarily affect individuals without the right to reside in the country who are subject to an enforceable removal order. This includes, for example, people whose asylum applications have been definitively rejected or who are required to leave the country for other reasons.
It has not yet been determined in which third countries the return hubs will be established. According to Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU), however, the first agreements with third countries can still be concluded by the end of 2026.
Who is exempt from this rule?
According to current plans, unaccompanied minors are not to be housed in return hubs. The rule is different, however, for families with children. In principle, they are also to be eligible for deportation via return hubs. This is particularly controversial.
It also remains unclear how long individuals required to leave the country are expected to stay at the return hubs.
