Dossier · Ordinary legislative procedure
Establishing a common system for the return of third-country nationals staying illegally in the Union, and repealing Directive 2008/115/EC of the European Parliament and the Council, Council Directive 2001/40/EC and Council Decision 2004/191/EC
- Reference
- 2025/0059(COD) Ordinary legislative procedure
- Where it stands
- Parliament approved the text agreed with the Council on 17 June 2026. The Council must now adopt it formally before it is published as law.
- Stage
- First reading
- Lead committee
- Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs LIBE
More facts (5)
- Rapporteur
- Malik AZMANI
- Shadow rapporteurs
- 7 members
- Decisions in plenary
- 2
- Last vote
- 17 Jun 2026 · Passed
- Versions
- 2 versions
Where it stands
The steps of this kind of dossier and how far it has come, from the procedure file.
- Referred to committee (done) 16 June 2025
- Committee work (done) Report adopted 9 March 2026
- Tabled for plenary (done) 10 March 2026
- Negotiations with the Council (done) Deal approved in committee 15 June 2026
- Plenary vote (done) Adopted 17 June 2026
- Published as law (to come)
A proposed EU law. Parliament and the Council must agree on the same text: Parliament adopts its position, then negotiates with the Council.
People
Committees and members responsible for the dossier, as the procedure file names them. Groups as recorded there.
- Lead committee
- Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs LIBE
- Rapporteur
- Malik AZMANI (Renew)
- Shadow rapporteurs
- François-Xavier BELLAMY (EPP), Murielle LAURENT (S&D), Marieke EHLERS (Patriots), Charlie WEIMERS (ECR), Mélissa CAMARA (Greens), Estrella GALÁN (The Left), Mary KHAN (ESN)
Decisions in plenary, 2
Every decision Parliament took on this dossier, newest first.
| Date | Decision | Kind | Effect | Final vote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Jun 2026 | Common system for the return of third-country nationals staying illegally in the Union (Return Regulation) (No. 2, 17 Jun 2026) | New laws | Passed | 418 for, 218 against, 30 abstained by roll call |
| 26 Mar 2026 | Common system for the return of third-country nationals staying illegally in the Union (Return Regulation) (No. 1, 26 Mar 2026) | New laws | Negotiating mandate approved | 389 for, 206 against, 32 abstained by roll call |
Every roll-call vote on the dossier, in date and voting order, with each group's line at the date of the vote.
Each group's clear line at the date of the vote: a position with at least two thirds of the group's votes (at least 10 members voting), otherwise Divided; “< 10 voted” when fewer took part. Result: outcome, for–against–abstained (method).
-
Adopted 389–206–32
- The Left
- Against
- Greens
- Against
- S&D
- Against
- Renew
- Divided
- EPP
- For
- ECR
- For
- Patriots
- For
- ESN
- For
- 17 Jun 2026 Proposal to reject the text
Rejected 198–453–5
- The Left
- For
- Greens
- For
- S&D
- For
- Renew
- Against
- EPP
- Against
- ECR
- Against
- Patriots
- Against
- ESN
- Against
- 17 Jun 2026 Proposal to vote on amendments
Rejected 258–394–6
- The Left
- For
- Greens
- For
- S&D
- For
- Renew
- For
- EPP
- Against
- ECR
- Against
- Patriots
- Against
- ESN
- Against
- 17 Jun 2026 Final vote on the provisional agreement
Adopted 418–218–30
- The Left
- Against
- Greens
- Against
- S&D
- Against
- Renew
- Divided
- EPP
- For
- ECR
- For
- Patriots
- For
- ESN
- For
Add members’ columns
Versions, 2
The text of the dossier, version by version, newest first. Compare shows what changed between two consecutive versions.
Tabled for plenary10 Mar 2026
Report A10-0048/2026 A-10-2026-0048
Committee draft30 Oct 2025
Draft report (LIBE) LIBE-PR-779352
AI: Each version in short Written by AI from the official text — check the source
- Report A10-0048/2026: Parliament's amended version of the proposed regulation establishes a common EU system for returning third-country nationals staying illegally, replacing the 2008 Return Directive and related acts.
- Draft report (LIBE): The draft report proposes amendments to the Commission's regulation establishing a common EU return system for illegally staying third-country nationals, replacing the 2008 Return Directive. It prioritises voluntary return, makes mutual recognition of return decisions mandatory after one year, and strengthens fundamental rights safeguards.
What changed
Between consecutive versions of the text, newest pair first.
No overview of what changed between versions is available for this dossier. The “Compare” links under Versions show every change between two versions.
Timeline, 15
Every recorded step, newest first, grouped by stage; the latest stage is open.
Plenary stage 2 steps · 16 Jun 2026–17 Jun 2026
17 June 2026
Plenary vote
16 June 2026
Debated in plenary
MEPs debated the text in the chamber ahead of the vote.
Sitting of 16 Jun 2026 Council / Commission text C10-0047/2025Report A10-0048/2026
Negotiations with the Council 1 step · 15 Jun 2026
15 June 2026
Committee approved the deal reached with the Council
The provisional agreement from the trilogues goes to the whole Parliament for a vote.
Plenary stage 1 step · 15 Jun 2026
15 June 2026
4 amendments tabled for the plenary vote
Groups propose changes to the tabled text; each is voted on before the final vote.
Negotiations with the Council 5 steps · 26 Mar 2026–1 Jun 2026
1 June 2026
Trilogue meeting
Negotiation between Parliament, Council and Commission on a common text.
20 May 2026
Trilogue meeting
Negotiation between Parliament, Council and Commission on a common text.
22 April 2026
Trilogue meeting
Negotiation between Parliament, Council and Commission on a common text.
26 March 2026
Trilogue meeting
Negotiation between Parliament, Council and Commission on a common text.
26 March 2026
Plenary endorsed the mandate to negotiate with the Council
Parliament’s negotiators can now seek a compromise text with the Council (in “trilogues”).
Plenary stage 2 steps · 10 Mar 2026–26 Mar 2026
26 March 2026
Plenary vote
10 March 2026
Report tabled for plenary
This is the text all MEPs vote on. Political groups can still table amendments to it.
Committee stage 4 steps · 16 Jun 2025–9 Mar 2026
9 March 2026
Committee vote: report adopted
LIBE (Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs) voted on the amendments and adopted the report that goes to plenary.
1 December 2025
Amendments tabled in committee (7 batches)
Members of LIBE (Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs) proposed changes to the draft.
Amendments in committee (LIBE)Amendments in committee (LIBE)Amendments in committee (LIBE)Amendments in committee (LIBE)Amendments in committee (LIBE)Amendments in committee (LIBE)Amendments in committee (LIBE)
30 October 2025
Draft report published
The rapporteur’s first text in LIBE (Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs). Members can table amendments before the committee votes.
16 June 2025
Referred to the LIBE (Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs) committee
The lead committee prepares Parliament’s report.
Connections
Texts, decisions, people and other dossiers related to this one.
Texts voted on
- Text REPORT on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a common system for the return of third-country nationals staying illegally in the Union, and repealing Directive 2008/115/EC of the European Parliament and the Council, Council Directive 2001/40/EC and Council Decision 2004/191/EC Report A10-0048/2026 17 Jun 2026
Other dossiers of the same rapporteur
- Dossier Strengthening the security of identity cards of Union citizens and of residence documents issued to Union citizens and their family members exercising their right of free movement 2024/0187(CNS) · Consultation procedure 2 Apr 2025 Passed
Dossiers sharing a running issue
- Dossier The recent hybrid attacks and instrumentalisation of migrants in Ceuta and the need for a coordinated response to protect EU’s external borders 2026/2870(RSP) · Resolution on a topical subject 17 Sept 2026 Adopted
- Dossier Reinforcing development cooperation to address irregular population movements and their root causes in partner countries 2025/2111(INI) · Own-initiative report 16 Jun 2026 Adopted
- Dossier Amending Regulation (EU) 2024/1348 as regards the application of the ‘safe third country’ concept 2025/0132(COD) · Ordinary legislative procedure 10 Feb 2026 Passed
- Dossier Agreement between the European Union and Bosnia and Herzegovina on operational activities carried out by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency in Bosnia and Herzegovina 2024/0305(NLE) · Non-legislative procedure 21 Jan 2026 Consent given
- Dossier Renewing the EU-Africa Partnership: building common priorities ahead of the Angola Summit 2025/2933(RSP) · Resolution on a topical subject 23 Oct 2025 Adopted
Sources & citation
Where the facts on this page come from, and how to cite it.
- Official source
- Data source
- Licensed CC BY 4.0.
- Retrieved
- 25 September 2026
Cite as
European Parliament (2026). “Establishing a common system for the return of third-country nationals staying illegally in the Union, and repealing Directive 2008/115/EC of the European Parliament and the Council, Council Directive 2001/40/EC and Council Decision 2004/191/EC”. Dossier, 17 June 2026. procId 2025-0059, reference 2025/0059(COD). EU Parl Watch Research. https://news.eu-parl.st-solutions.dev/dossiers/2025-0059 (retrieved 25 September 2026). Official source: Procedure file (Legislative Observatory, OEIL), https://oeil.secure.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/en/procedure-file?reference=2025%2F0059(COD). Data: EP Open Data API: procedure record, https://data.europarl.europa.eu/api/v2/procedures/2025-0059 (CC BY 4.0).
BibTeX
@misc{epw-dossier-2025-0059,
author = {{European Parliament}},
title = {{Establishing a common system for the return of third-country nationals staying illegally in the Union, and repealing Directive 2008/115/EC of the European Parliament and the Council, Council Directive 2001/40/EC and Council Decision 2004/191/EC}},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-06-17},
howpublished = {\url{https://news.eu-parl.st-solutions.dev/dossiers/2025-0059}},
url = {https://news.eu-parl.st-solutions.dev/dossiers/2025-0059},
urldate = {2026-09-25},
publisher = {EU Parl Watch Research},
note = {Dossier. procId 2025-0059, reference 2025/0059(COD). Official source: https://oeil.secure.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/en/procedure-file?reference=2025\%2F0059(COD). Data: EP Open Data API: procedure record (CC BY 4.0)}
}