Ursula von der Leyen. Photo: Yves Herman/Reuters
The European Commission plans to present a new legislative initiative that will facilitate the deportation of illegal migrants, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced in a letter to the 27 EU member states. The document was made public on Monday evening, AFP reports.
“The Commission will present a new legislative proposal that will include clear cooperation obligations for rejected persons, as well as a commitment to streamline the return process,” von der Leyen said. This initiative is a response to requests from several EU member states to strengthen control over migration processes.
According to the President of the Commission, the EU needs a new legislative framework to tackle the problem of illegal migration more effectively. The letter was sent on the eve of the EU summit, which will take place on Thursday and Friday in Brussels and will be partly dedicated to migration issues.
Brussels proposes to ease deportation procedures for people staying in the EU illegally by introducing a mechanism for mutual recognition of deportation decisions between member states. This will prevent migrants from exploiting legal loopholes to avoid returning to their country of origin.
Von der Leyen also stressed that only less than 20 per cent of decisions to deport migrants are implemented in practice. To change this situation, the EU plans to strengthen cooperation with third countries, including toughening visa policies for states that refuse to accept their citizens.
The agreements with Bangladesh and Ghana are examples of successful cooperation in this area. Von der Leyen stressed the importance of “strategic relations” with countries of origin, citing agreements with Libya and Tunisia that helped reduce the flow of migrants to Europe.
Thanks to EU-funded operations, the number of returns to North Africa increased to 17,700 in 2024. This has reduced the number of irregular migrants arriving in the EU via the Mediterranean by 66%.
However, von der Leyen acknowledged that the number of arrivals through the western Mediterranean and Atlantic to Spain had increased significantly by 56% at the end of September. In response, she proposed strengthening the EU’s partnership with countries such as Mauritania to reduce this flow.
EU interior ministers have recently discussed new measures to tighten migration policy, including a revision of the 2008 deportation directive. Several European countries, including France and Germany, have supported the initiative of the Netherlands and Austria to simplify and speed up return procedures.
The previous attempt to revise this directive in 2018 failed, but new proposals from the European Commission may change the situation.
