The European Union is preparing to dramatically expand its deportation powers, with a landmark law allowing migrants to be sent to return hubs outside Europe and making it easier for governments to remove people with no right to stay.
A deal on the Return Regulation is expected today between EU governments and the European Parliament, marking the most hardline turn in EU migration policy in decades. Driven by political pressure over migration and the rise of anti-immigration parties, Brussels is embracing measures that would have been unthinkable only a few years ago.
The new law aims to raise the return rate, as currently, around 28% of migrants ordered to leave are effectively returned outside Europe. EU governments and institutions are pushing for more control over who can stay in the EU and who must leave, reflecting polls showing European voters increasingly worried about uncontrolled migration flows.
"We will ensure that those who have no right to stay in the EU are actually returned," EU Home Affairs Commissioner Magnus Brunner promised when he presented the law.
The topic is likely to hang over upcoming elections across EU countries, fuelling the rise of far-right forces such as National Rally in France and Vox in Spain, despite data showing a substantial drop in irregular arrivals in 2026 and 2025.
