European Commission expects sharp rise in deportations from EU

BRUSSELS, 3rd January, 2026 (WAM) — The European Commission expects a sharp rise in deportations from the European Union over the past year, German Press Agency (dpa) reported, quoting EU Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner.

“The deportation rate rose from 19 per cent in 2023 to 27 per cent in the first three quarters of 2025. This means we are likely to reach the highest deportation rate since 2019 this year,” Brunner told the Sunday edition of the German newspaper Welt.

However, he added that this was “still far from sufficient.”

“We must combat illegal migration on all fronts,” Brunner said. This includes consistently deporting those who have lost the right to remain in the EU, the commissioner said, as well as “swiftly rejecting people with little prospect of receiving asylum.”

It also requires close cooperation with third countries to ensure that people do not embark on dangerous migration routes in the first place, he said.

EU member states sealed far-reaching agreements on key aspects of migration policy at the beginning of December in Brussels.

Among other measures, they agreed to increase pressure on rejected asylum seekers and make deportation procedures more efficient.

The creation of return centres in third countries outside the EU is also set to be allowed in future.