“Only about 20% of people who receive a decision to return to their country of origin actually do so,”
says Anna Bryłka, a Member of the European Parliament from Confederation, in an interview with Newseria. In her view, the current EU legislation is ineffective and needs to be revised to increase the efficiency of deportations. In March, the European Parliament and European Commission debated a proposal to reform return policies.
The EU Return Directive is a legal act that was mostly drafted before the migration crisis of the 2010s. It sets out common rules and procedures for the return of illegally staying third-country nationals in the EU. The directive aims to ensure that returns are effective and respectful of the migrants’ fundamental rights. However, the directive has been in force for 17 years, and many MEPs now consider it outdated and in urgent need of reform.
“The European Commission recognizes this issue and wants to address it. There is already a proposal for a new regulation, which we’ll be working on in the European Parliament and other EU institutions. But will this regulation actually solve the problem? We have serious doubts. An effective return regulation must ensure that illegal immigrants are, in fact, returned,”
says Bryłka.
On March 11, the European Parliament debated amendments to EU return policies. The changes proposed by the Commission aim to increase the return rate, which is currently alarmingly low. According to Frontex, in 2024 over 239,000 illegal migrants crossed EU borders—38% fewer than in 2023, but still with surging numbers on many routes.
“Less than 20% of return decisions are enforced. That clearly shows the system isn’t working,”
Bryłka notes.
“As patriots, we have strong reservations about this regulation. We would even like to change the terminology. The Commission continues to use the phrase ‘irregular migration’, but to us, anyone crossing the border illegally is simply an illegal migrant—their status isn’t just ‘irregular’; it’s clearly unlawful.”
Proposed Changes and National Autonomy
Bryłka points out that reforms must include clearer mechanisms for return orders that would be automatically extended to all EU member states. Reform advocates also want to extend the five-year entry ban on illegal migrants and give member states more autonomy over how they implement return procedures.
“In our opinion, a member state should have the freedom to expand its internal procedures. Our concern is that the reform will turn this from a directive into a regulation. A directive allows more national flexibility, while a regulation has immediate legal effect and could limit member states’ discretion,”
says Bryłka.
In addition to improving return effectiveness, Confederation MEPs advocate for a migration policy that discourages non-Europeans from perceiving the EU as a “welcome mat.”
“Current EU laws put illegal immigrants in a favorable position. Even the Migration Pact says that if a migrant gives any plausible reason for seeking protection, the member state must grant them that status and offer full support. This creates a de facto invitation for ongoing mass illegal migration into the EU,”
Bryłka argues.
Sanctions on Non-Cooperative Countries
The MEP also proposes introducing sanctions against third countries that refuse to cooperate with the EU on accepting their deported nationals. She points to measures recently introduced by the U.S. government as a potential model.
“What Donald Trump did was implement trade restrictions or other tools against countries that wouldn’t cooperate on return policy. The EU sends huge amounts of money to countries from which illegal migrants originate. Financial sanctions could serve as leverage—there’s no other option,”
she concludes.
During the debate in the European Parliament, MEPs also stressed the importance of cooperation with third countries and discussed the possibility of establishing return centers in those countries.
