The European Council and Parliament agreed on the Return Regulation, which streamlines return procedures and establishes so-called return hubs" outside EU borders to host migrants without the right to remain in the EU.
The agreement comes just before the full implementation of the EU’s Migration and Asylum Pact on 12 June, introducing a new system for migration, asylum, border management, and integration. The pact came into force in 2024, starting a two-year transition phase, but national governments are now required to implement it.
The pact "introduces efficiency into the system”, according to the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA).
The measures target external borders, common asylum procedures, burden-sharing among member states, and international partnerships to fight illegal migration.
Civil society groups have expressed concerns about migrants’ rights, while Magnus Brunner, Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, stated that the “agreement demonstrates [that] we are getting our European house in order”.
