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European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU executive would propose new legislation to increase the number of deported illegal migrants, AFP reports.
"The Commission will present a new legislative proposal including clear cooperation obligations for returnees and a willingness to effectively streamline the return process," Von der Leyen wrote in a letter sent to EU member states.
"But we will need a new legal framework to strengthen our capacity to act," the Commission president added.
She said the bloc must "build a level of harmonisation and trust" to facilitate the deportation of irregular migrants so that each member state recognises decisions taken by the others.
"This will ensure that migrants who have a return decision in one country cannot exploit cracks in the system to avoid being returned elsewhere. Approximately 20% of expulsion orders for irregular migrants are executed," said Von der Leyen, promising better cooperation with third countries in taking in expelled migrants, partly through a tougher stance on visa policy.
"Visa policy alignment has proven to be an important tool for managing illegal movements to the EU," the Commission president added. | BGNES
