Brussels is quietly laying the foundations for what could become the next major chapter of the bloc’s migration policy as Ireland takes over the six-month EU Council presidency. The challenge now is turning political agreements into a functioning system.
During a hearing in the European Parliament’s Civil Liberties Committee (LIBE), senior officials from the European Commission, Frontex and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) outlined the next steps in EU migration policy. Their plans closely mirror Dublin’s priorities for the months ahead: digitalising return procedures, strengthening cooperation with third countries and accelerating the implementation of the Pact on Migration and Asylum.
While presented as largely technical reforms, the discussions revealed a broader political—and controversial—ambition. Thomas Byrne, Irish Minister for European Affairs, explained how to create a more integrated European migration management system stretching from member states’ return authorities to migration partnerships far beyond the EU’s borders.
Digital tools
The Commission confirmed that it will present a legislative proposal in September establishing a common digital architecture for return procedures across the EU. The proposal would not create a new European database. Instead, it aims to connect existing national systems through a common communication platform. That would allow authorities to exchange information on individual return cases more efficiently.
According to Henrik Nielsen, Director for International Affairs, Returns and Visa at DG HOME, the current system suffers from fragmented data and limited information-sharing. “A lot of these processes are still happening manually,” Mr Nielsen told MEPs, pointing to repetitive administrative work, poor coordination between member states and the absence of comprehensive statistics on return procedures. “The new systems will be built on the already existing national ones,” he stressed. “The communication portal will be new at the EU level.”
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In addition, the proposal will be accompanied by a full impact assessment covering costs, funding and data protection safeguards.
Inside the Irish agenda
Dublin has committed itself to advancing the implementation of the Pact on Migration and Asylum. Its agenda includes improving the effectiveness of return procedures, strengthening cooperation with countries of origin and transit, fighting migrant smuggling and reinforcing the EU’s external dimension on migration. And, the Commission’s forthcoming legislative package appears almost tailor-made for that agenda.
The Irish Presidency is expected to steer negotiations on proposals that put the Pact into practice. The aim is to turn political agreements reached over recent years into functioning European systems.
In this context, the reform of Frontex, expected to be published late in September, is crucial. Executive Director Hans Leijtens made clear that the agency’s ambition extends beyond technical support. “The main issue is to have a European roadmap built not technically but more systemically in how the systems communicate,” he said.
Frontex’s Return Case Management System framework (RECAMAS), currently used as a reference model, is expected to evolve into a system establishing mandatory requirements for member states while promoting common standards and best practices. Although the Commission will define the legal framework, Frontex increasingly appears set to become the operational coordinator of Europe’s digital return infrastructure.
Exactly how responsibilities will be divided between the Commission, Frontex and eu-LISA remains one of the questions the forthcoming legislation will have to answer. Commission officials repeatedly sought to reassure lawmakers that the reforms would fully respect fundamental rights.
External dimension
If the first half of the hearing focused on improving returns inside Europe, the second shifted attention to one of the most politically sensitive aspects of the Migration Pact: its external dimension. The Commission defended its growing investment in “multi-purpose centres” established in countries along migration routes. The facilities are intended to support refugees, strengthen national asylum systems and create legal migration pathways before migrants reach EU territory.
According to Mr Nielsen, the EU has already expanded cooperation with countries such as Chad and Mauritania. The support also extends to initiatives ranging from refugee protection to migrant resource centres in countries including Iraq and Pakistan. The route-based approach, he argued, allows the EU to engage with countries along entire migration corridors while tackling migrant smuggling more effectively.
The debate reflects another priority of the Irish presidency: the returns. The discussion quickly turned to whether these facilities could eventually evolve into centres for processing asylum claims or facilitating returns outside EU territory.
UNHCR drew a clear distinction: “Multipurpose hubs are not return hubs,” said Jean-Nicolas Beuze, the agency’s Representative for EU Affairs. “There is no externalisation of the responsibilities of member states. It is about responsibility sharing, not responsibility shifting,” he concluded.
