For immediate release
Brussels, 6 March 2026 – A new report launched today by the Migration Policy Group (MPG) and FAiR finds that return policies across Europe remain far from fully aligned with human rights standards, at a time when return has become a central EU priority.
As the European Parliament prepares to vote next Monday on the new EU Return Regulation, the launch of the Migration Return Policy Index (MIREX) comes at a decisive moment. The vote represents a turning point for the Parliament to reaffirm that human rights remain a foundational principle of EU migration policy and are not sidelined in the pursuit of enforcement objectives.
Developed under the EU-funded Finding Agreement in Return (FAiR) project, MIREX provides a comparative and evidence-based assessment of return policies across 11 European countries. MIREX uses a 0–100 scoring system to evaluate how well national return policies comply with human rights standards. Lower scores indicate greater gaps and a stronger need for policy reform to address deficiencies. The findings show a fragmented and structurally imbalanced landscape, often prioritising coercive tools over rights protection, dignity and legitimacy.
Key findings
MIREX identifies three overarching trends:
- Significant heterogeneity in national return policies, with heavy reliance on detention and enforcement-driven measures.
- Limited assistance to returnees and persistent gaps in fundamental rights safeguards.
- Very limited use of alternatives to detention and few accessible legal regularisation pathways.
Average scores across policy areas reflect these challenges:
- Voluntary return: 70 out of 100
- Assistance to returnees: 58 out of 100
- Detention: 50 out of 100
- Human rights safeguards: 46 out of 100
- Enforced return: 41 out of 100
- Alternatives to return: 37 out of 100
- Stakeholder involvement: 31 out of 100
Recommendations to European Parliament:
If EU return policy is to be credible and effective while fully aligned with fundamental rights, a recalibration is necessary. MPG calls on the European Parliament to:
- Strengthen assisted voluntary return and sustainable reintegration frameworks.
- Establish firewalls to guarantee undocumented migrants access to basic services without fear of immigration enforcement.
- Expand humane and effective alternatives to detention.
- Develop accessible regularisation pathways that provide secure status and opportunities for full participation.
- Ensure meaningful stakeholder involvement, transparency and accountability throughout the policy cycle.
At a time when legislative choices will shape return governance for years to come, MIREX provides a data-driven foundation to move the debate beyond rhetoric and toward solutions that are both effective and rights-compliant.