Immigration, in EU only 1 in 4 non-EU nationals returned after repatriation order

Brussels -Europe has two speeds between ordering irregular migrants to leave member states and their enforcement. The issuance of deportation orders is faster than their implementation. Eurostat data released today (Sept. 30) show 96,115 non-EU nationals ordered to leave an EU country in the second quarter, while only 25,285 returned to third countries following such orders. It is in line with the first half of the year: 103,505 return orders and 30,795 repatriations carried out. Since the beginning of 2024, there have been 199,620 deportation orders for 56,080 completed expulsions throughout Europe. 

Based on data from European Statistical Institute, only a little more than a quarter of non-EU citizens return across EU borders. It means that three out of four immigrants remain within the EU and that the European return machine has yet to be perfected, reflecting the complexity of migration management.

The problem also closely involves Italy, a country that makes the so-called ‘external dimension’ of the migratory phenomenon one of its priorities. The Meloni government does not focus on redistribution of those arriving as much as greater cooperation with third countries to reduce as much as possible and avoid departures, along with repatriations to the countries of origin of those who do not have the right to remain on national and therefore European soil. In the first half of 2024, out of 13,330 repatriation orders, Italy expelled 2,035 non-EU citizens.