Speed up the return of illegal migrants

The EPP Group wants an urgent overhaul of the EU's return policy. We must speed up the return of illegal migrants who do not have the right to stay in Europe. This demand comes ahead of today's key plenary debate on improving return procedures to better manage migration.

"Only 1 in 5 migrants without the right to stay in the EU are returned. This must change. Within 100 days of taking office, the new European Commission must propose new legislation to speed up returns and ensure that return decisions are mutually recognised across Europe. If you don't have the right to be in Europe, you should not be in Europe," says Tomas Tobé MEP, EPP Group Vice-Chair. 

"To ensure a migration policy that is both firm and fair, we need European solutions. The swift implementation of the new Migration and Asylum Pact is essential. However, as we have always stressed, the negotiation and implementation of the Migration Pact is only the beginning. We must also focus on the external dimension of asylum and migration policy, because it all starts in third countries. Cooperation with these countries is at the core of a sustainable migration strategy. Return hubs are a crucial tool in this effort - they enable us to implement return procedures fairly and efficiently, while also making it clear that Europe is serious about enforcing its rules. These hubs can help us increase return rates and protect the integrity of the EU's asylum system," underlines Lena Düpont MEP, EPP Group Spokeswoman on Home Affairs.