Slight increase in returns, but only one in four people actually leave EU

Brussels – Despite the fact that it has been one of the European Union’s priorities for months in combating irregular immigration, member states have not yet shifted gears on repatriation. The ratio of people who are actually returned to third countries to those who have been ordered to leave EU territory remains decidedly low, at only one in four. In the second quarter of 2025, 28,355 returns were carried out against 116,495 travel orders issued.

However, Eurostat data, covering the period from April to June, show a slight increase compared to the same period last year. Repatriation orders grew by 3.6 per cent, and the number of actual returns by 12.7 per cent. Over the past two years, little has changed. From one repatriation for every five orders to one for every four.

The country that has the most problems enforcing the decisions of the competent authorities is undoubtedly France. In the Hexagon, as many as 34,760 repatriation orders were issued in just three months, but only 3,685 have left French territory. After France, the highest number of non-EU citizens subject to a repatriation order was recorded in Spain (14,545) and Germany (14,095). In terms of actual repatriations, second to France are Germany (3,445) and Sweden (2,865). The latter returned 65% of those who were notified of their return. In terms of efficiency in repatriations, Lithuania is unrivalled: out of 1245 orders, it carried out 1205.

It is clear that much depends on the nationality of the persons who are denied the right to remain in the EU. To repatriate a non-EU citizen who refuses to leave, specific agreements are needed with the countries of origin to carry out forced repatriations or with third countries, as in the case of Turkey. Brussels is insisting, in particular, on facilitating these possibilities. The European Commission has already presented several legislative proposals, which are now being examined by the member states and the European Parliament.

At the EU level, in the second quarter of 2025, 53.7 per cent of repatriations to a third country were voluntary, while 46.3 per cent involved forced returns. While in the Czech Republic, Latvia, and Lithuania, more than 90 per cent of the repatriations were recorded as voluntary, in Germany and Italy, all reported returns were forced.

Most of the non-EU citizens ordered to leave a member country came from Algeria (9,805), Morocco (7,085), Turkey (6,310), Syria (5,465) and Mali (4,720). The majority of those repatriated were Georgian (2,460), Turkish (2,020), Albanian (1,945), Moldovan (1,210) and Syrian (1,140) citizens.