La Strada Documentation Center

Statement | The Return Regulation is Increasing Exploitation Risks

Document number
3668
Date
22/06/2026
Title
Statement | The Return Regulation is Increasing Exploitation Risks
Author/publisher
La Strada International
Availability
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Keywords
Return Regulation
Summary
The political agreement on the Return Regulation was reached on 1 June with the Council and approved by the EU Parliament last Wednesday (17 June) whilst right-wing MEPs chanted “send them back”. The regulation presents a real risk of increasing third-country national’s vulnerabilities and push irregularity. The Common European System for Returns, most commonly known as the Return Regulation, proposed back in March 2025, aims to reform and strengthen EU return rules, as a complement to the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, which entered into force this month. Similar initiatives have been attempted in the past, but only the strengthened position of the far-right in both the European Parliament and Council made such an agreement possible.