Overview
- The civil liberties committee approved a compromise on March 9 that would let EU countries send rejected asylum seekers to centers in non‑EU states and tighten enforcement.
- The draft allows mutual recognition of return decisions across member states and introduces measures such as detention, confiscation of identity documents and longer re‑entry bans.
- Parliament is expected to take the file to a plenary vote within days, with AFP reporting it could be scheduled as soon as Thursday, and the measure could take effect within about three months if adopted.
- The text advanced through a coalition linking the center‑right PPE and Les Républicains with right and far‑right groups, with Fabrice Leggeri saying the vote shows there is no longer a cordon sanitaire between them.
- NGOs and left‑wing MEPs warn of rights risks and offshore detention, while EU governments remain split between deterrence advocates such as Germany and Austria and skeptics including France and Spain.