The European Union has agreed on a major overhaul of its migration policy. The newly accepted terms “simplify and speed up procedures, with full respect for fundamental rights and international law, while preventing abuses and unauthorised movements within the EU.” It would speed up deportations and allow member states to create detention centres outside the bloc.
In one of Brussels’ most contentious asylum shifts in years, the provisional agreement, reached by the European Commission, Council and Parliament in a so-called trilogue, still needs final approval but is expected to clear the remaining formal steps quickly.
"The era of deportations has just begun."
MEP @weimers reacts on #EuropeToday to the controversial migration law agreed yesterday by the EU.
The legislation, deemed xenophobic by civil society groups, will allow migrant return hubs to be established outside the EU. pic.twitter.com/L3Q7oW6H5n
— euronews (@euronews) June 2, 2026
The deal would give EU countries broader powers to detain people who have been ordered to leave the bloc and to enforce returns more aggressively, according to Cypriot deputy migration minister, Nicholas Ioannides, whose country currently holds the rotating EU presidency.
It also opens the way for bilateral agreements with third countries to host so-called “return hubs”, following a model already used by Italy in Albania and now being discussed by several other governments.
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At least five member states including Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Denmark and Greece are already in talks with third countries, mostly in Africa, about such arrangements.
The new rules come as migration remains one of the most politically volatile issues in Europe.
Under the deal, a return decision issued to a non-EU national staying illegally in a member state by the competent national authorities will come with the obligation to leave the relevant EU country immediately or within a given time, EP PR said.
Right-wing parties have pushed governments to adopt tougher policies, and the EU has spent months trying to tighten its framework while preserving some basic legal safeguards.
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EU Places Emphasis On Cooperation And Migrant Detention
The new EU return rules would require non-EU nationals with a return decision to cooperate with the authorities, and allow detention during the return process if an individual is deemed uncooperative, likely to abscond or a security risk. Detention would need to be ordered by an administrative or judicial authority, could last up to 24 months in a member state, and in some cases be extended by six months if circumstances change or cooperation with the relevant third country improves.
The proposal also allows for a fresh detention period if a person moves to another member state and detention grounds still apply. As alternatives, authorities could impose regular reporting, residence in a designated place, a financial guarantee or electronic monitoring. For unaccompanied minors and families with children, detention would only be permitted as a last resort and for the shortest appropriate period, with the child’s best interests taken into account.
