Today, the EU Commission presented a new law regarding the return of migrants without residence rights. The proposal includes some empty window dressing with what has long been possible, and partly a stricter approach on methods that have proven ineffective. It also opens the door to so-called return hubs.
GroenLinks-PvdA MEP Tineke Strik, who was the negotiator for the European Parliament in the previous revision of the Return Directive, is extremely disappointed that the Commission did not choose to address the real problems with proven solutions: “This proposal mainly relies on false promises and deflection rhetoric, and in this way, we as the EU drift further away from a genuinely effective, humane, and decisive return system.”
Tineke Strik – MEP GroenLinks-PvdA
Waiting Years for a Decision
“I read little that is innovative. Much of what is stated could already have been done, and the proposal does not address the core of the problems. The European return system has been creaking and cracking for years. This is because EU countries have not organized their affairs properly. As long as asylum seekers still have to wait for years for a decision and countries subsequently fail to execute 4 out of 5 return decisions, we do not make any progress with returns,” said Strik. The increasing waiting times for an asylum decision are now hindering effective returns, as it has long been proven that deportation becomes more difficult as more time passes.
Most Effective Method
“The only way to truly improve returns is if the EU Commission timely holds member states accountable when they do not contribute to a swift return. Such as by closing loopholes, enforcing better, and focusing on assisted returns as the proven most effective method and cooperating with countries of origin based on mutual respect and mutual benefit.”
“Instead, the Commission opted for the exact opposite path: grandstanding about sanctions and detention and a virtually blank check to countries to deploy controversial deflection maneuvers such as return hubs, without guarantees for their treatment or the possibility to still return to their country of origin. This way, migrants are plunged into a legal and humanitarian vacuum, with no perspective for a sustainable solution. And with this return hub option, countries have no incentive to bring their own return practices in order and to invest in a good working relationship with countries of origin, necessary for swift and effective returns,” said Strik.