Since 2014, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) has issued an annual forced return monitoring overview that looks at the monitoring of return operations in the EU Member States. The FRA also provides guidance for national authorities that are responsible for monitoring forced returns.

The overview for 2023 shows that only one EU Member State (Croatia) did not monitor its national forced return operations in 2023 – a marked improvement from 2022, when six countries did not have monitoring of return operations in place. The overview, however, points to challenges related to independence, transparency, operational limitations and effectiveness of the monitoring. The lack of funding is also a recurrent issue underlined by national monitors. In Belgium, for example, due to the phasing out of an AMIF-funded project and the lengthy procedure of re-submission and granting of new funds, a monitoring gap emerged in 2022 and continued in 2023. 

In 2024, the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum introduced a new obligation: by mid 2026, Member States must have independent national mechanisms to monitor fundamental rights compliance during the screening of new arrivals and asylum procedures at borders. Member States’ experience in monitoring forced returns will be helpful to design effective national independent monitoring mechanisms under the Pact on Migration and Asylum.

For further information, please read this press release from the FRA and read the "Forced Return Monitoring Systems – 2024 update" online.