“Decisive action at all levels to facilitate, increase and speed up returns from the EU”, European leaders call for in the conclusions of the Migration Summit, calling on the Commission “to submit a new legislative proposal as a matter of urgency”.

At the end of the Session, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that it was necessary to find a “common approach” to the issue of returns and that the Commission would work to improve the current legislative framework which has been out of date for some twenty years . As he said, only 20% of migrants who do not have the right to stay in the EU have returned to their countries of origin. Von der Leyen said a similar initiative to revise the returns directive failed in 2018, but six years later, the debate has evolved. “We will come up with a new proposal for refunds,” he added.

To prevent illegal immigration, von der Leyen said the idea of ​​”safe third countries” should be examined and defined. He also added that the issue of “return hubs” in third countries should be considered, as well as cooperation with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organization for Migration to return irregular migrants to their countries of origin.

European leaders in their conclusions point out that to increase returns from the EU, “all EU policies, instruments and tools, including diplomacy, development, trade and visas” should be used. They also stress that “new ways of preventing and dealing with irregular migration should be considered, in accordance with EU law and international law”.

The European Council also calls for enhanced cooperation with countries of origin and transit, through overall “mutually beneficial partnerships, to address the root causes and fight human trafficking and smuggling, in order to prevent the loss of human life and of irregular departures”.

“We had an in-depth discussion on the issue of immigration,” said outgoing European Council President Charles Michel. Particularly with regard to the external dimension of migration, he emphasized that there is a greater convergence of positions between member states and a greater determination to act for better control of the EU’s external borders.

Charles Michel also emphasized that the European Council expresses its solidarity with Poland which is facing hybrid threats and instrumentalization of immigrants from Belarus and Russia. In particular, in its conclusions, the European Council underlines “its determination to ensure effective control of the Union’s external borders by all available means, including with the support of the EU in accordance with EU and international law” and “reaffirms the commitment of dealing with the instrumentalization of immigrants for political purposes”.

The European Council emphasizes that “immigration is a European challenge that requires a European response”.