BRD, together with over 50 civil society organizations across Europe, raises serious concerns about the EU Return Regulation negotiations currently taking place in the Council of the European Union.
The compromise text prepared by the Danish Presidency introduces unprecedented changes that weaken human rights safeguards and erode legal protections in EU migration and return policy. Instead of reinforcing EU values, the Council is advancing measures that:
- Expand detention powers, risking indefinite detention beyond the current 18-month limit.
- Weaken protection against refoulement by limiting appeals and removing essential safeguards.
- Increase burdens on third-country nationals, imposing obligations beyond their control and introducing harsh penalties.
- Undermine a common EU return system, allowing Member States to apply divergent national laws.
- Retain deportation centers (“return hubs”), despite serious human rights concerns.
These proposals contradict EU primary law, the Charter of Fundamental Rights, and jurisprudence from the CJEU and ECtHR, creating legal uncertainty and inconsistent standards across Member States.