Brunner in Strasbourg

EU plan: asylum centers and faster deportations

Magnus Brunner presented the new EU plan for a more efficient repatriation system in Strasbourg on Tuesday.

(Bild: RONALD WITTEK)

The new EU repatriation law is intended to make deportations faster and more efficient in future, especially for immigrants who have entered the EU illegally. In future, there will also be the possibility of an entry ban of up to 20 years following deportations. The controversial repatriation centers would also be possible with the new law. Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner presented the draft law in Strasbourg on Tuesday.

Brunner wants to create a "more efficient, more coherent return system" with "standardized rules throughout Europe", as he explained in advance. These asylum rules are to be significantly tightened. "Citizens are no longer asking us to do this - they are demanding that we take action," Brunner told the European Parliament.

The key points of the new EU return law:

• Returns should be faster and more efficient in future. Deportation decisions issued by one EU country should also automatically apply in the other member states. This should make repatriation faster and prevent illegal migrants from "going underground" again. There are to be special rules for minors.
• Returning offenders could be taken into custody if they pose a security threat. According to the proposal, member states will in future have to check at an early stage whether a person poses a security risk. As soon as these people are identified, they will be subject to strict rules such as forced return, longer entry bans and special grounds for detention. Detention can be extended beyond the normal 24 months by court order, according to the Commission.

• It should be possible to return apprehended illegal migrants directly from the EU country in which they were last apprehended to their country of origin - instead of to another EU country, as was previously possible.

• A new concept is intended to standardize and simplify the definition of "safe third countries", as this classification is currently the responsibility of the respective EU country. Brunner announced this concept by June 2025.
• An important key point: the controversial "return hubs", i.e. return centers, can in future be set up in third countries for which a return decision has already been issued. According to the draft, corresponding agreements can be concluded with a third country that respects international human rights standards and principles. The centers would operate under very strict conditions, said Commission Vice-President Henna Virkkunen at the press conference on Tuesday. The proposal thus responds to massive criticism from NGOs and human rights organizations.
• With a legal residence permit, there should also be guarantees for fundamental rights. Brunner is thus responding to criticism from NGOs and human rights organizations, which had criticized the law as being too harsh.
• In future, returnees will also have to cooperate more closely with the authorities. If they fail to do so, they may face severe consequences. These include the reduction or withdrawal of benefits or the confiscation of travel documents. At the same time, incentives for cooperation, including support for voluntary return, are to be increased.

Return rate currently only 20 percent
According to the EU Commission, a current return rate in the EU of just 20 percent and different systems in the individual EU states would encourage abuse. "Returns must be a priority," said Virkkunen. The new law should make a strict distinction between those who live and work legally in Europe and those who have no right to do so.

Magnus Brunner presented the new EU plan for a more efficient return system in Strasbourg on Tuesday.

(Bild: RONALD WITTEK)

It is to become even stricter for those who have committed crimes and pose a security risk. People who pose a threat should no longer simply be allowed to travel in public, added Brunner at the press conference before his speech in Parliament. 

"Drying up the dirty business of smugglers"
The approach is a "fair but unyielding migration policy", continued Brunner. It was unacceptable "when people who do not have the right to stay take advantage of this". Brunner announced that he would "dry up the dirty business of people smugglers".

Brunner received applause from the ÖVP Members of the European Parliament. Delegation leader Reinhold Lopatka referred to Eurostat figures this morning, according to which 480,000 people should have left the EU, but only 100,000 actually did. "Anyone who claims that there is no need for action is completely ignoring reality!"

MEP Lukas Mandl later commented in a press release: "The speed with which the new EU Commission has brought this proposal to the table is remarkable. This should be acknowledged." The implementation of the Commission's proposal will "help to put a stop to organized crime in the area of human trafficking", said Mandl, who previously helped negotiate the asylum and migration package in the European Parliament and will now take part in the negotiations on the current proposal as a member of the Committee on Home Affairs.

Schieder sees "fundamental rights problems"
"Anything that improves cooperation between member states in this area is to be welcomed", said SP delegation leader Andreas Schieder this morning. He could not say whether a new legal approach was actually needed. However, detention centers could "also cause problems in terms of fundamental rights". Thomas Waitz from the Green Party was clearer: "Deportation centers in third countries are not compatible with EU human and fundamental rights! We need other solutions - but within the EU." What is needed is the implementation of previous agreements instead of show politics and sham negotiations.

While Anna Stürgkh from the NEOS found it fundamentally positive that a joint European initiative should replace national solo efforts, Petra Steger (FPÖ) was scathing in her assessment: "I can only say: Not enough, set! This will not bring about the necessary turnaround!" Migrants who are staying in the EU illegally will "not be brought out of the EU" with this regulation.

Current directive from 2008
The EU's Return Directive regulates the return of people from third countries who are in the EU illegally. The current directive was adopted in 2008. Its revision is one of the core projects of the von der Leyen Commission, and the first major task for former Austrian Finance Minister Brunner. The Commission's proposal must be adopted by the EU Parliament and the Council of Member States before it can apply.