Publication date: 08 November 2017
Forced returns of rejected asylum seekers to Afghanistan have been heavily debated in Sweden. In this context, the Swedish Contact Point of the EMN has gathered and analyzed the information provided by 17 Member States, including Belgium, on this topic.
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Main theme: Return & Readmission
Publication Type: Ad Hoc Queries
Keywords: forced return, Afghanistan
Publication date: 11 December 2014
This Inform summarizes the main findings of the corresponding EMN study aimed at analyzing Member States’ use of entry bans and readmission agreements as the EU main policy measures to implement effective return policies
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Main theme: Irregular Migration, Return & Readmission
Publication Type: Informs
Keywords: entry ban, forced return, readmission agreement, return directive
Publication date: 11 December 2014
This focused study presents an analysis of (Member) States’ use of entry bans and readmission agreements and also identify good practices in this field, including possible synergies in the implementation of return and reintegration measures.
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Main theme: Irregular Migration, Return & Readmission
Publication Type: Thematic Studies
Keywords: entry ban, forced return, readmission agreement, return directive
Publication date: 19 November 2013
This EMN Inform provides an overview of current aspects of return in EU Schengen Member States and Norway, including statistics.
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Main theme: Return & Readmission
Publication Type: Informs
Keywords: forced return, return directive, voluntary return
Publication date: 09 August 2013
10 Member States provided detailed information and statistical data on their removal policy, forced returns and assisted returns. This query was launched by the French EMN NCP
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Main theme: Return & Readmission
Publication Type: Ad Hoc Queries
Keywords: forced return, Frontex, return policy, voluntary return
Publication date: 25 June 2013
In order to satisfy the large demand for detailed figures on asylum and migration, the Belgian Contact Point of the EMN compiled in August 2012 a series of figures on asylum and migration.
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Main theme: Data & Statistics
Keywords: asylum decisions, asylum applications, residence permit, forced return, voluntary return, work permit
Publication date: 17 January 2013
This compilation of responses to a French ad hoc query provides information on the removal of unaccompanied minors in the EU Member States.
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Main theme: Vulnerable groups, Return & Readmission
Publication Type: Ad Hoc Queries
Keywords: age assessment, family tracing, forced return, unaccompanied minors, voluntary return
Publication date: 21 April 2011
How to cope with one of the most difficult public policy issue at the moment in Europe, dealing with irregular migration? On 20 April 2011, the Institute for Public Policy Research (ippr) published a new report on irregular migration in the UK
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Publication date:
Civil society organisations, as highlighted by Vluchtelingenwerk Vlaanderen, have urged the federal government to abandon the draft law allowing home searches for enforcement of return decisions, citing serious concerns raised by the Council of State. The draft law, first adopted by the Council of Ministers in July 2025, has faced scrutiny from several advisory bodies, including Myria, the Children’s Rights Delegate, and the Data Protection Authority. Municipal motions in various cities, including Brussels, Verviers, and La Hulpe, have also questioned its provisions.
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Main theme: Return & Readmission
Keywords: home search, forced return, privacy, inviolability of the home
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Myria, the Federal Migration Centre, has published a new thematic booklet as part of its annual report "Migration in figures and rights 2025". The publication presents recent figures on return, detention and removal, while analysing major legislative developments in Belgian return policy. It also examines the situation of detainees without legal residence in Belgian prisons and reviews the creation of the National Preventive Mechanism against ill-treatment in detention. According to Myria, return indicators have continued to rise after the pandemic, while new laws significantly expand the use of control and coercive measures.
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Main theme: Return & Readmission
Keywords: return policy, detention, voluntary return, forced return, National Preventive Mechanism, Convention against Torture
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Belgium has confirmed its participation in an exploratory administrative mission to Afghanistan, representing 20 European Union Member States. The announcement was made by Minister of Asylum and Migration Anneleen Van Bossuyt. The mission, organised by the European Commission, aimed to establish technical administrative contacts with Afghan authorities. The initiative has drawn attention from refugee organisations, which have expressed concern about engagement with the Taliban regime.
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Main theme: Return & Readmission
Keywords: voluntary return, forced return, illegally staying person, Afghanistan, identification, criminal foreigner
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The Council of the European Union has agreed its position on a proposal for an EU regulation establishing a common system for the return of third‑country nationals staying in the EU illegally. The proposed regulation introduces common procedures, obligations for those without the right to stay, and tools for cooperation between Member States. It also allows for the creation of return hubs in third countries. Negotiations with the European Parliament will follow to agree on the final text.
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On 3 December, CIRÉ launched a campaign to inform the public about a draft law that would permit police, under judicial authorisation, to carry out home searches in specific cases involving foreign nationals subject to enforceable return decisions. The organisation highlights potential concerns regarding privacy and constitutional rights. Several Brussels municipalities have already expressed opposition to the measure. The campaign aims to encourage parliamentary scrutiny and public debate on the proposal.
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Main theme: Return & Readmission
Keywords: forced return, home search, illegally staying person, threat to public order
Publication date:
On 16 October 2025, twenty EU Member States signed a joint letter urging the European Commission to take coordinated steps to enable voluntary and forced return to Afghanistan. The initiative, led by Belgian Minister for Asylum and Migration Anneleen Van Bossuyt, calls for a coherent European approach to address cases of Afghan nationals residing irregularly in the EU, particularly those posing a threat to public order or national security. The signatories stress that credible migration policies require effective return mechanisms and call for tangible progress by the end of the year.
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Main theme: Return & Readmission
Keywords: Afghanistan, voluntary return, forced return, public order, national security
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Belgian Ministers of Justice and Asylum and Migration, Annelies Verlinden and Anneleen Van Bossuyt, visited Albania and Kosovo on 6–8 October 2025. Their discussions addressed migration management, prison overcrowding, and bilateral cooperation in justice and security. Meetings involved national authorities and highlighted ongoing collaboration between Belgium and the two countries.
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Main theme: Irregular Migration, Return & Readmission, Smuggling & Trafficking
Keywords: Belgium, Albania, Kosovo, cooperation, identification, forced return, detainee
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Eight officers from the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) have started work at Brussels Airport to assist in return operations. They will operate alongside Belgian police to increase the number of returns. Their deployment follows the adoption of national legislation and a Royal Decree defining their powers and operational zones.
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Main theme: Return & Readmission
Keywords: forced return, Frontex, European Border and Coast Guard, Brussels Airport
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The Belgian Council of Ministers has approved a draft law enabling home searches, with judicial authorisation, in cases involving non-cooperative foreign nationals facing return and posing a threat to public order or national security. The measure is similar to one previously discussed in 2018 and will now be submitted to the Council of State for its opinion. Several civil society organisations have expressed concerns about its implications.
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Main theme: Return & Readmission
Keywords: home search, forced return, public order, national security, immigration enforcement
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According to recent data released by Eurostat, 124.935 non-EU citizens were ordered to leave an EU country, and 28.630 persons were returned to third countries following an order to leave. When compared with the same quarter of 2023, the number of non-EU citizens ordered to leave went up by 16.3%, while the number of people returned to third countries increased by 24.3%.
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Main theme: Data & Statistics
Keywords: order to leave the territory, voluntary return, forced return, irregularly staying third-country national
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In 2024, 1.261 detainees were forcibly returned from Belgian prisons, down from 1.428 in 2023 and 1.511 in 2022, according to the Immigration Office. The most represented nationalities among those returned were Albanians, Moroccans, and Algerians. This decline comes amid ongoing challenges linked to prison overcrowding and changes in early-release policies.
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Main theme: Return & Readmission
Keywords: third country national, illegally staying person, detainee, prison, forced return
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In a press release published on 27 January 2025, the Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration announced that Belgian authorities could organise the forced return of Afghans to Istanbul and that partners on the ground could then take them to Afghanistan. This collaboration and the budgets for it still need to be finalised by a new government.
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Main theme: Return & Readmission
Keywords: forced return, Afghanistan
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In its overview of national forced return monitoring systems across the EU in 2023, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) noted that only one EU Member State did not monitor its national forced return operations in 2023. It also highlighted persistent challenges that affect the transparency and effectiveness of monitoring operations.
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Main theme: Return & Readmission
Keywords: forced return, monitoring
Publication date:
On 2 May 2024, the Chamber of Representatives adopted in plenary session the draft law relating to the competencies of the members of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency on the national territory. The law inter alia defines how Frontex members will support the Federal Police in the field of border controls and forced return of foreigners.
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Main theme: Borders & Visa
Keywords: European Border and Coast Guard, Frontex, border control, forced return, escort
The Council of Ministers approves the public procurement for new closed centers in Jabbeke and Jumet
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On 26 April 2024, the Council of Ministers approved, upon proposal by the Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration Nicole de Moor and the Secretary of State in charge of the Buildings Administration Mathieu Michel, the public procurement for new closed centers in Jabbeke and Jumet.
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Main theme: Return & Readmission
Keywords: closed centre, forced return, State Secretary for Asylum Policy and Migration
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On a proposal from Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden, the Council of Ministers approved a preliminary draft law defining the powers that members of the European Border and Coast Guard would have on national territory during official missions.
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Main theme: Return & Readmission
Keywords: European Border and Coast Guard, Frontex, border control, forced return, escort
Publication date:
In the first three months of this year, 959 irregularly staying third-country nationals were subject to forced return from Belgium. That is twice as many as in the same period last year, when it concerned 502 persons.