Overview
- Negotiators from the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission reached the political agreement on the return regulation in early June 2026, with formal approval by the LIBE committee, the Parliament plenary and the Council still required.
- The draft keeps measures that let states hold people who lack the right to stay in EU or third‑country centres and raises maximum detention to about two and a half years, a sharp change from the current six‑month ceiling.
- The text creates a European Return Order to speed recognition of return decisions across member states with initial recognition set as voluntary and new powers for police to locate undocumented people and block some re‑entry.
- Agence France‑Presse reporting identifies 12 possible third‑country partners for return hubs, including countries with documented migrant‑rights abuses such as Libya, Tunisia and Egypt, which raises serious questions about legal safeguards and non‑refoulement.
- Human‑rights groups warn families and vulnerable people could face prolonged detention and restricted access to legal aid while member states may use the rule change to activate pilot hubs like Italy’s centres in Albania and to press bilateral deals that affect how and where returns happen.