EU states approve stricter migrant return rules

EU member states, including Czechia, have given final approval to stricter rules for returning migrants who have no legal right to remain in the European Union. The new regulation is intended to speed up the return of unsuccessful asylum seekers and complements the EU migration and asylum pact. It also allows member states to establish return centres in non-EU countries under bilateral agreements, provided those countries meet international human rights standards. Unaccompanied children cannot be sent to such centres. Critics say the new measures could undermine fundamental rights and prove costly and ineffective.