The European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs has approved a set of bills allowing the establishment of centers for migrants expelled from the European Union in third countries, Deutsche Welle reported.
The legislative initiative also provides for stricter penalties for foreigners whose stay in the European Union is illegal, up to and including imprisonment.
Deutsche Welle notes that the draft law received support from conservatives and representatives of far-right parties. The European Parliament is scheduled to vote on this legislative initiative on March 12.
According to data from the European Union Asylum Agency (EUAA), published in early March, the number of asylum applications in European Union countries in 2025 decreased by 19% compared to the previous year, reaching 822 thousand people. In the European Commission, books DW linked the decrease in the number of asylum applications to the tightening of immigration policy. Meanwhile, the publication noted that only about 20% of foreigners who were ordered to leave return to their countries.
In 2024, the United Kingdom passed legislation allowing the deportation of illegal immigrants to Rwanda. At the same time, Italy ratified an agreement with Albania on the construction of two migrant reception centres. The media and human rights activists have criticized such decisions, pointing out the seriousness of human rights violations when expelling migrants to third countries.