The European Parliament has approved a major overhaul of the European Union’s return policy, passing with 389 votes in favour and 206 against.
Despite attempts by some parties to isolate the debate with a cordon sanitaire against right-wing parties and with political tensions high in Germany and other countries, the vote today may demonstrate a European desire for stricter and safer migration policies.
Swedish MEP Charlie Weimers, a member of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group, told Brussels Signal today: “There is a new consensus in Europe: The era of deportations has begun.”
“Today’s vote confirms a growing and stable majority in the European Parliament for a strict migration policy. For too long, return decisions have existed only on paper as only one in five ordered to leave actually does so.
“The new Regulation strengthens national authorities with tougher sanctions for non-compliance, expanded tools to address security risks and conduct investigations, and greater flexibility for Member States to deploy instruments such as return hubs,” Weimers said.
The reform, part of the Migration and Asylum Pact, replaces the outdated 2008 Return Directive and introduces a single, EU-wide system for returning third-country nationals staying irregularly.
For years, only about one in four return orders were actually carried out, leaving many migrants in legal limbo and undermining trust in the system.
Return hubs in non-EU countries will allow irregular migrants to be transferred to host countries. Families with children can now also be relocated alongside adults.
Lawmakers hope this new framework will strengthen Europe’s borders.
Under the reform, a return decision in one country can now be enforced immediately in another, thanks to a digital European Return Order that tracks cases in real time across the Schengen area.
Authorities can detain individuals for up to 24 months if needed and stricter rules apply to anyone considered a security risk, including faster removal, longer entry bans and priority expulsion.
“Today is a historic day. The firewall failed, and it’s clear what citizens in Germany and Europe want: an end to the migration crisis. Now the task is to make key aspects of the regulation – return centres, lifelong entry bans, and medical age assessments – a reality. For the first time, a law will come into being because of the AfD,” ESN MEP Mary Khan said.
While the system is stricter, it standardises procedures, which could in some cases allow irregular migrants to remain legally longer than under the previous patchwork of national rules.
In that regard, French MEP Philippe Olivier, a member of the Patriots for Europe group, told Brussels Signal today: “The vote is satisfying and symbolic, above all because the EPP aligned with us. Citizens are finally being heard, but the issue is still there.
“The next step is June 2026, when the Pact takes effect. We must oppose it and continue our resistance.”
Yesterday, ahead of the vote, a conference was held in the European Parliament titled Civil war? Europe at Risk where Weimers and French MEP Marion Marechal, along with others, underlined the urge for stricter policies regarding mass immigration, otherwise it would be “the downfall of our western societies” and the rise of the so- called “no-go zones”.
Today’s vote may show that co-ordinated action on migration is possible even amid political divisions.
Notably, the cordon sanitaire failed to block the legislation.
