Ahead of the publication of MEP Azmani’s Draft Report for the European Parliament, civil society organisations are clear: MEPs must reject this Regulation.

It's high time Europe invested in welcoming and fair societies for all.

The current text:

❌ Expands immigration detention to up to 24 months, even for children
❌ Reinforces states’ discretion in creating offshore deportation centres
❌ Increases racial profiling and intrusive digital surveillance
❌ Erodes rights of appeal and right to an effective remedy

The European Commission’s proposed Deportation Regulation (euphemistically called "Return Regulation") would entrench punishment and racialised discrimination as the cornerstones of migration policy while expanding detention and surveillance across Europe.

...and we were happy and proud to be part of a group of fantastic organisations working day in, day out to promote the rights of migrant workers: @lastradaint.bsky.social (Europe), Undok (Austria), CEPAIM (Spain), FAIRWORK Belgium, @fairwork.bsky.social (The Netherlands).

The event is hosted by @epc-official.bsky.social, @picumofficial.bsky.social, @rescue.org and @egmontinstitute.bsky.social

📍 Location: European Policy Centre Rue du Trône 14‑16 1000 Brussels.

📝 For online and in-person participation, register on: crm.picum.org/civicrm/even...

🥗 For in person participants, a light lunch will be served.

🌎 The event will be held in English with Ukrainian interpretation.

🎙️ Jean-Louis De Brouwer
Director, Egmont Institute

🎙️ Magda Faltová
Board Chair, Consortium of Migrants Assisting Organisations and Director, Association for Integration and Migration, Czechia

🎙️ Oksana Gedz
Advocacy Coordinator, Right to Protection, Ukraine

🎙️ Michele LeVoy
Director, PICUM

With:

🎙️ Ylva Johansson
Special Envoy for Ukrainians in the EU

🎙️ Hans-Ulrich Benra
Head of the Task Force Ukraine, German Federal Ministry of the Interior

🎙️ Nacira Boulehouat
Head of Unit Migration Management Coordination, Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, European Commission

The event will open with a keynote address by @ylvajohansson.se, Special Envoy for Ukrainians in the EU and former Commissioner for Home Affairs, followed by panel exchanges with experts, public officials and civil society from the EU and Ukraine.

How can inconsistencies and protection gaps be avoided?

How can policies balance individual needs of persons displaced in the EU with Ukraine’s reintegration capacity and long-term priorities?

What role should the EU play in supporting a truly coordinated approach, and where do gaps remain?

In September, the Council adopted a Recommendation on a coordinated approach out of Temporary Protection, setting out possible pathways to return or transition to different residence statuses for longer-term stay in the EU.

This event will explore some of the questions related to these next steps:

In June 2025, EU member states unanimously agreed to extend until March 2027 Temporary Protection for people fleeing Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Yet Temporary Protection will not last indefinitely.

These calls echo warnings from over 100 civil society organisations in March, who have urged EU legislators to ensure the Directive does not punish migration itself nor solidarity.

In their letter to the European Parliament and Council, the experts call on lawmakers to:

📌 Narrowly define the offence of “facilitation”
📌 Remove vague terms like ‘public instigation’ and ‘instrumentalisation’
📌 Introduce a binding humanitarian exemption

They warn that the current draft “raises serious doubts as to its compatibility with international human rights obligations” and risks criminalising people migrating, and those supporting them for familial or humanitarian reasons.

Three UN Special Rapporteurs - on trafficking in persons, human rights defenders, and the human rights of migrants - have penned a joint letter to EU lawmakers negotiating EU migrant smuggling rules (draft Facilitation Directive).

📲 Watch this space and find out more about the project on solidarityfocus.eu