Overview
- The Council’s Return Regulation would allow the EU or individual member states to strike agreements with non‑EU countries to host or process rejected migrants in designated return centers under a ‘safe third country’ approach.
- The package streamlines removals by dropping the requirement for a link between the person and the destination country, expanding detention and entry bans, and enabling penalties for non‑cooperation alongside obligations to provide documents, biometrics and availability to authorities.
- A European Return Order would standardize decisions across the bloc and is slated for inclusion in the Schengen Information System within up to two years of the regulation taking effect.
- Ministers settled on a solidarity compromise of 21,000 relocations or €420 million per year, with a €20,000 payment per refused relocation, and some countries may claim reductions citing accumulated pressure, with relocations expected to start in June 2026.
- Spain and France registered reservations over the legality and effectiveness of external return centers, Spain abstained on the solidarity vote, and NGOs including PICUM and Amnesty International warned of rights risks and legal uncertainty.