The EU formally adopted legislation on Thursday setting rules for handling asylum seekers whose applications have been rejected and for operating return centres. The measures form part of the bloc’s wider asylum pact and establish a common framework for returns across EU member states.
The return regulation, known as returforordningen, was agreed by the European Parliament and EU member states on 1. juni. It addresses the treatment of asylum seekers who have been refused protection. The broader EU asylum pact came into force 12. juni.
The rules will also apply in Norway because it is part of the Schengen area. The brief does not set out how individual member states or Norway will put the provisions into practice, or when implementation will begin.
Morten Bødskov, Denmark’s Minister of Immigration and Integration, welcomed the adoption. He said Europe should strengthen its external borders and expressed satisfaction that the legislation would support the development of return centres.
Human rights organisations have challenged the approach. Amnesty International said it did not believe return-centre arrangements could be implemented in a manner compatible with human rights protections. Human rights groups have described such centres as “legal black holes”.
The new rules place returns of rejected asylum seekers within the EU’s broader asylum framework. The legislation establishes the formal basis for the policy, while the practical operation of return centres remains unspecified in the information provided.
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