EU migrant deportations reach highest level since 2019

The European Commission expects 2025 to bring the highest rate of migrant deportations since 2019. In the first three quarters of last year, the rate of returns rose to 27 percent, up from 19 percent in 2023, EU Home Affairs Commissioner Magnus Brunner said. Spiegel writes.

He also stressed the need for more consistent action against those who have lost the right to remain in the Union. He called for asylum seekers with low chances to be rejected quickly and for cooperation with third countries to be stepped up in order to prevent migrants from making the journey to Europe in the first place.

In early December, member states agreed to further tighten migration and asylum policies. The reform includes a proposal to set up so-called return centres outside the European Union to temporarily house asylum seekers who cannot be deported back to their home country.

The agreement also includes a common list of so-called safe countries of origin and the creation of a new "solidarity fund" for 2026. The proposal is not yet final, with negotiations between the European Council and the European Parliament on the final legislative form taking place.

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