Effective, sustainable and dignified – this is the test that the Socialists and Democrats Group has set for crunch EU migration proposals to be presented tomorrow.

Through tough negotiations, the socialists and democrats worked under the last mandate to improve the Pact on Migration and Asylum in line with progressive values. We stand ready again to work constructively on the New common approach on returns, due to be presented by the European Commission.

The S&Ds underline their ambition for pro-European parties to work together to deliver a truly European approach that makes returns more effective, sustainable and dignified. For the S&D Group, highly controversial return hubs cannot be part of that approach.

Ana Catarina Mendes, S&D vice-president, said:

“This new approach will be a litmus test for the new Commission. The last years have shown that migration policy is complicated and requires thorough negotiation and input from a range of different voices. We stand ready to work constructively with all pro-EU parties.

“Common approach – that is the key point for this proposal on returns. The focus must be how member states can deliver a sustainable, dignified and workable approach by building closer cooperation at the EU level.

“We are a Union of values. And as a Union, our commitment to those values is proven not by our response to easy situations, but by our reaction to challenging ones. The EU’s commitment to fundamental rights must be absolute and must form the basis of the new common approach on returns.”

Birgit Sippel, S&D coordinator in the civil liberties, justice and home affairs committee, said:

“Returns policy is part of a functioning migration system and we believe more EU-level cooperation can improve it, working alongside the implementation of the new pact.

“However, so-called innovative solutions that have been rejected in the past are not the solution. It would be a mistake for the EU to look to the now cancelled UK-Rwanda scheme or the Italy-Albania deal for inspiration. They are legally questionable and waste vast amounts of taxpayers’ money.

“The European Commission must carefully consider the message it sends. In an unstable world, we must show that we stand by our fundamental values and on the side of international law, including the right to asylum and the principle of non-refoulement.

“A truly innovative approach would focus on sustainable cooperation with countries of origin combined with more effective legal pathways to reduce the need for returns in the first place.”

The S&D Group has consistently called for a holistic, EU-aligned approach to migration challenges and has firmly opposed the creation of return hubs(opens in a new tab).

The S&D 2024-2029 key demands(opens in a new tab) call for the implementation of the EU Migration Pact to ensure the protection of human rights, social integration, and an equitable sharing of responsibilities among member states, as well as for robust and comprehensive legal migration instruments.