STORY
European Parliament and Council negotiators are due to try to reach an agreement on updated EU rules for returning third-country nationals who do not have the right to remain in the bloc. The talks form part of the EU’s wider effort to make its migration and asylum system more effective after years of political pressure over irregular arrivals and low return rates.
The return regulation is politically sensitive because it sits at the point where migration control, fundamental rights and relations with non-EU countries all meet. Governments have repeatedly called for faster returns, while parliamentary groups and campaigners have warned that any new powers must be accompanied by safeguards and proper legal oversight.
The negotiations come during a week in which migration is again high on the Brussels agenda. Home affairs ministers are also expected to discuss the implementation of the migration pact, the external dimension of migration and the future legal status of displaced people from Ukraine.