Διαφάνεια

Joint statement challenging the EU’s new “Return Regulation”

On 11 March 2025, the European Commission unveiled its so-called “Return Regulation.” In reality, this is a Deportation Regulation that expands detention (including in offshore sites), fuels racial profiling, and strips away rights. 

The regulation will push more people into irregularity and legal limbo, denying them healthcare and basic rights, and exposing them to destitution, homelessness, exploitation, or prolonged detention. 

Today, we’ve signed a joint statement rejecting the new regulation alongside more than 200 organisations. We’re rejecting it because of three core issues: 

  • Deportations without ties: the proposal allows people to be deported to countries they’ve never set foot in. Families and communities would be torn apart, with lives pushed into danger and limbo. 
  • Expansion of detention: detention could be extended up to 24 months – even for children. 
  • Surveillance and punishment: this system should be focused on care. However, from racial profiling and raids, to GPS tagging and phone surveillance, to punishing people for being “uncooperative” – this is instead about control. 

Deportation can’t be the cornerstone of migration policy. Communities need protection, housing, healthcare and education, not surveillance and fear. 

We urge the Commission to withdraw the proposal, and the European Parliament and Council to reject this Regulation and to invest instead in policies that uphold dignity, strengthen inclusion, and allow all people to live safely regardless of status. 

You can read the full statement, available in several translations, below.

ENG_Final Statement for launch_15 SepDownload
PDF in GermanDownload
PDF in ItalianDownload
PDF in FrenchDownload
PDF in SpanishDownload
PDF in DutchDownload

Signatories:

EU/International 

  1. 11.11.11 
  1. Abolish Frontex 
  1. Academics for Peace-Germany 
  1. Access Now 
  1. ActionAid International  
  1. Africa Advocacy Foundation 
  1. AlgoRace 
  1. All Included 
  1. Alternatif Bilisim 
  1. Amnesty International 
  1. Apna Haq  
  1. ASAM Greece 
  1. Aspiration  
  1. Avocats Sans Frontières (ASF) 
  1. Border Violence Monitoring Network 
  1. borderline-europe – Menschenrechte ohne Grenzen e.V. 
  1. Bridge EU 
  1. Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) 
  1. CCFD-Terre Solidaire 
  1. Changemakers Lab 
  1. Civil Rights Defenders 
  1. COFACE Families Europe 
  1. Correlation-European Harm Reduction Network 
  1. COSPE 
  1. CPT – Aegean Migrant Solidarity  
  1. de:border // migration justice collective 
  1. DeZIM,  German Centre for Migration and Integration Research 
  1. EAPN European Anti-Poverty Network 
  1. ECCHR European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights 
  1. EL*C – Eurocentralasian Lesbian* Community 
  1. EmpowerVan 
  1. EPSU 
  1. Equinox Initiative for Racial Justice 
  1. EuroMed Rights  
  1. European Alternatives 
  1. European Network Against Racism (ENAR) 
  1. European Network on Religion & Belief 
  1. European Network on Religion and Belief  
  1. European Network on Statelessness 
  1. Famiglie Accoglienti  
  1. FEANTSA 
  1. Fenix Humanitarian Legal Aid 
  1. Forum per Cambiare l’Ordine delle Cose  
  1. Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women (GAATW) 
  1. Global Asylum Seeker Human Rights Defenders Committee (GASHDC) 
  1. Hoffnung leben e.V. 
  1. Human Rights Watch 
  1. Humanity Diaspo  
  1. I Have Rights. 
  1. Inter Alia 
  1. InterEuropean Human Aid Association Germany e.V. 
  1. International Planned Parenthood Federation – European Network (IPPF EN) 
  1. International Women* Space e.V  
  1. iuventa 
  1. Kerk in Actie 
  1. La Strada International  
  1. Madera Creation 
  1. Médecins du Monde International Network 
  1. Médecins Sans Frontières 
  1. Mediterranea Bruxelles 
  1. Mediterranea Saving Humans  
  1. Missing Voices (REER) 
  1. Mission Lifeline International eV 
  1. Movimiento por la Paz (MPDL) 
  1. Mujeres Supervivientes 
  1. Mundo en Movimiento  
  1. Network Against Migrant Detention  
  1. New Horizons Project 
  1. New Women Connectors 
  1. No Name Kitchen 
  1. Northern Ireland Council for Racial Equality  
  1. Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants – PICUM 
  1. Protestantse Kerk Nederland 
  1. Quaker Council for European Affairs (QCEA) 
  1. Recosol 
  1. Roma Feminist Collective 
  1. Romnja Feminist Library 
  1. SCI Catalunya 
  1. Sea-Watch e.V. 
  1. Service Civil International 
  1. SOLIDAR 
  1. SOS Humanity 
  1. SOS Racism Denmark  
  1. Spectrum  
  1. Statewatch 
  1. Symbiosis-Council of Europe School of Political Studies in Greece 
  1. Syrian Justice and Accountability Centre 
  1. Transnational Institute 
  1. UNESCO Inclusive Policy Lab -People of African Descent & SDGs E-Team 
  1. Validity Foundation – Mental Disability Advocacy Centre 
  1. WeMove Europe  
  1. Women Against Violence Europe (WAVE) Network 
  1. Yoga and Sport with Refugees 

National 

  1. Arbeitsgemeinschaft Migrationsrecht des Deutschen Anwaltvereins 
  1. Ariadni AMKE 
  1. ARSIS Association for the Social Support of Youth 
  1. ASGI 
  1. ASKV 
  1. Asociación Por Ti Mujer 
  1. Association for Integration and Migration (SIMI) 
  1. Associazione Arturo 
  1. AWO Bundesverband 
  1. Ban Ying e.V. coordination and counseling center against trafficking in human beings 
  1. Boat Refugee Foundation 
  1. Brot für die Welt 
  1. CEAR – Comisión Española de Ayuda al Refugiado 
  1. Center for legal aid – Voice in Bulgaria 
  1. Centre Avec 
  1. Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) 
  1. Centre for Labour Rights, CLR 
  1. CIEs NO MADRID  
  1. CIRÉ 
  1. CNCD-11.11.11 
  1. Community Rights in Greece 
  1. Congolese Anti-Poverty Network  
  1. coop. soc. APE06 – AlterProjectEmpowerment2006 
  1. Coordinadora CIE No Cádiz 
  1. Coordinadora Obrim Fronteres 
  1. Council of Churches Amsterdam 
  1. Danes je nov dan, Inštitut za druga vprašanja 
  1. Diaconaal Centrum De Bakkerij 
  1. Diásporas Association 
  1. Dutch Council for Refugees 
  1. ECHO100PLUS 
  1. Equal Legal Aid 
  1. Europasilo 
  1. Famiglie accoglienti Bologna e Torino 
  1. FEDERACIÓN ANDALUCÍA ACOGE 
  1. Federación SOS Racismo 
  1. Feministas en Holanda 
  1. Flüchtlingsrat NRW e.V. 
  1. Flüchtlingsrat Schleswig-Holstein e.V. 
  1. forRefugees 
  1. GAT – Grupo de Ativistas em Tratamentos 
  1. Greek Council for Refugees (GCR) 
  1. Greek Forum of Migrants  
  1. Greek Forum of Refugees 
  1. Greek Housing Network 
  1. Hermes Center 
  1. HOTM 
  1. Huize Agnes 
  1. Human Rights Initiatives  
  1. ICS (Italian Consortium of Solidarity) 
  1. INTERSOS HELLAS 
  1. Irídia – Centre per la Defensa dels Drets Humans 
  1. Italy Must Act 
  1. Jeannette Noëlhuis 
  1. Jesuit Refugee Service Belgium 
  1. Jesuit Refugee Service Greece 
  1. JRS Malta 
  1. KOK – German NGO Network against Trafficking in Human Beings 
  1. Kopanang Africa Against Xenophobia (KAAX) 
  1. La Cimade  
  1. Legal Centre Lesvos 
  1. LDH (Ligue des droits de l’Homme) 
  1. M.oV.I Caltanissetta 
  1. Meldpunt Vreemdelingendetentie 
  1. Migrant Rights Centre Ireland 
  1. Migrant Tales 
  1. Migrant Voice UK 
  1. Mobile Info Team 
  1. MOC  
  1. Move Coalition  
  1. Naga Odv 
  1. Nazione Umana 
  1. Network for Children’s Rights (Greece) 
  1. NOF 
  1. Nomada Association 
  1. ONE PEOPLE  
  1. Pauluskerk Rotterdam 
  1. POUR LA SOLIDARITE 
  1. PRO ASYL,  National Working Group for Refugees 
  1. Racism and Technology Center 
  1. RADIO BULLETS APS 
  1. Red Acoge 
  1. RED AMINVI, SPAIN 
  1. RED ESPAÑOLA DE INMIGRACION Y AYUDA AL REFUGIADO 
  1. Red Interlavapies  
  1. Refugee Council of Lower Saxony 
  1. Refugee Legal Support (RLS) 
  1. Refugees Platform In Egypt-RPE 
  1. Refugees Welcome Italia 
  1. Rotterdams Ongedocumenteerden Steunpunt 
  1. S.P.E.A.K ( moslim woman collectif) 
  1. SAAMO Antwerpen 
  1. Salud por Derecho 
  1. SCI Switzerland 
  1. SNDVU Seguro 
  1. SolidarityNow 
  1. Solidary Wheels 
  1. Stem in de Stad  
  1. Steunpunt Ongedocumenteerden Pauluskerk 
  1. Stichting LOS (NL) 
  1. Stichting ShivA 
  1. Stichting Vluchteling Kansen 
  1. Stichting Vluchtelingen in de Knel 
  1. STIL Utrecht 
  1. Stowarzyszenie Interwencji Prawnej (Association for Legal Intervention) 
  1. The Norwegian Centre Against Racism 
  1. Tierramatria  mujeres migrantes y Refugiadas en Andalucía  
  1. Turun Valkonauha ry, Finland 
  1. URGG 
  1. Villa Vrede 
  1. Vluchteling Onder Dak 
  1. Vluchtelingenwerk Nederland 
  1. Waterford Integration Services, Ireland 
  1. Wereldhuis – World House (STEK) 
  1. Wereldvrouwenhuis Mariam van Nijmegen 
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