EU Agrees New Rules for Migrant Returns to Third Countries, Expanding Powers

European Union lawmakers and governments have agreed on new rules allowing countries to send migrants ordered to leave the bloc to centers in third countries. This deal is part of a broader tightening of EU migration policy, despite irregular arrivals falling 26% last year to their lowest level since 2021.

The legislation, proposed by the European Commission last year, still requires formal approval. It aims to streamline procedures and provide governments with more tools for deportations, while respecting fundamental rights. Currently, only about 20% of people ordered to leave the EU actually depart.

Under the new rules, EU states can establish «return hubs» outside the bloc for rejected asylum seekers or those ordered to leave. Deportees could be sent to countries they have no connections to. European Commissioner Magnus Brunner stated, «With the new rules, we have more control over who can come to the EU, who can stay, and who needs to leave.»

The draft legislation extends detention periods and introduces penalties like entry bans, fines, and criminal sanctions for non-cooperation. Authorities can seize belongings, collect biometric data, search homes, and use coercion as a last resort for fingerprints. The deal also permits searching migrants and «relevant premises,» a term criticized by rights groups as overly broad. Human rights activists warn these practices are already increasing, citing night-time home searches and transfers for deportation without allowing migrants to gather belongings. Minos Mouzourakis, Refugee Support Aegean, called it «a recipe for extremely damaging and extremely dangerous practices.» French Green lawmaker Mélissa Camara criticized the «legalisation of return hubs outside the European Union, the green light for the detention of minors, home visits inspired by ICE practices.»