EU Parliament Pushes to Speed Up Migrant Deportations

This legislative push aims to address persistently low deportation rates across the bloc; in 2024, only 26% of the 453,840 repatriation orders issued were actually carried out. Data from the third quarter of 2025 showed that of 115,440 non-EU nationals ordered to leave, just 34,155 were returned to a third country. A key part of the new strategy, set to take effect in June 2026, is the creation of a unified list of "safe" countries of origin, including Morocco, India, and Tunisia. Asylum claims from nationals of these countries can be fast-tracked for rejection, as can applications from migrants who merely transited through a designated "safe third country" before reaching the EU. The plan also includes establishing "return hubs" in non-EU countries to hold rejected asylum seekers awaiting deportation. A coalition of member states including Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Denmark, and Greece is already collaborating on building these offshore deportation centers. This policy shift is backed by a significant increase in security and technology spending. The EU's budget for border security in the 2021-2027 cycle is nearly €35 billion, with major contracts for surveillance infrastructure and drones awarded to defense and tech firms like Thales, Airbus, and Leonardo. The EU's border and coast guard agency, Frontex, is a primary recipient of this funding, with its budget set to grow by 194% to €5.6 billion for the 2021-2027 period. The European Commission has also recently made €28 million available for new research into border security technology. This tougher stance is also being leveraged diplomatically, with the EU using its visa system to pressure other nations. The bloc's strategy includes potentially restricting visas for countries that refuse to accept the return of their nationals who have been ordered to leave the EU.