The EU Return Regulation reform and international human rights obligations

The European Commission’s proposal for a new Return Regulation, set to replace the 2008 Return Directive, marks a significant shift in the EU legal framework for returns and presents a vast set of measures, sanctions and obligations aiming to increase the rate of returns from the EU.

While the Commission has underlined the importance of ensuring full compliance with human rights, the far-reaching measures proposed – considering the amendments proposed by the Council and the ongoing discussions in the Parliament – call for thorough reflection. Reconciling the objectives pursued with international human rights standards is urgent, including the prohibition of direct and indirect refoulement, the right to liberty, the right to respect for private and family life and the protection of the child’s best interest, as recently cautioned by UN human rights mechanisms.

Against this backdrop, and at a key moment in the legislative process, the Regional Office for Europe of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR Europe) and Amnesty International’s European Institutions Office, in collaboration with the MORE project, CEPS and PICUM (the Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants) invite policymakers to engage in a closed-door policy roundtable with experts from the UN, civil society, humanitarian actors and academia.

The discussion will examine the human rights implications of the proposed Regulation’s key provisions and explore expert-driven recommendations to ensure full compliance with the obligations under international human rights law.