WARSAW, POLAND / RankWire.AI / – Frontex supported more than 33,000 returns from EU member states to non-EU countries in the first half of 2026. The figure rose from about 30,000 in the same period last year. Around 21,000 people returned voluntarily, compared with roughly 19,000 a year earlier. The latest total takes Frontex-supported returns since 2022 to about 215,000 people, according to agency figures released Sept. 7.
The European Border and Coast Guard Agency supports national authorities after a person receives an enforceable return decision. That decision follows the exhaustion of legal avenues to remain in the EU. National authorities decide whether a return is voluntary or forced. Voluntary cases involve compliance with the decision, while forced returns follow when a person does not meet the obligation to leave. The agency supports both types of return.
Germany, France, Cyprus, Belgium and Sweden recorded the largest numbers of agency-supported returns between January and June. The main nationalities among returnees were from Türkiye, Syria, Georgia, Colombia, India, Brazil, Albania, Morocco, Nigeria and Iraq. Frontex deployed 109 Return Specialists across 15 member states during the period. Another 118 Return Escort and Support Officers worked across 11 member states to assist with travel, airport procedures and flight logistics.
Voluntary returns account for most cases
Nearly 14,000 people registered for EU reintegration assistance during the first six months of 2026. That compared with about 8,000 registrations in the same period of 2025. More than four in five participants had returned voluntarily. Reintegration support can include vocational training, counselling and grants for small businesses after people return to their countries of origin. Member states may also enroll other eligible returnees in the program.
Return specialists help national authorities manage cases, explain available support and obtain identity documents from countries of origin. Escort and support officers accompany some returnees and handle administrative tasks around departures. Frontex Executive Director Hans Leijtens said operations must follow legal requirements and protect safety and dignity. He also highlighted voluntary return and reintegration support in the agency’s current work. The agency says voluntary returns can reduce staffing and logistical demands linked to forced removals.
EU return rules move through legislative process
The latest figures come after European Union negotiators reached a provisional agreement on common return rules on June 1. The European Parliament approved its first-reading position on June 17 by 418 votes to 218, with 30 abstentions. The framework covers third-country nationals who lack a legal right to remain in member states. It also sets cooperation duties and creates a European Return Order to support recognition of return decisions across the bloc.
The agreed text permits return hubs in non-EU countries under arrangements that comply with international law and human rights standards. It excludes unaccompanied minors from those arrangements. The text also contains specific measures for people considered security risks and keeps mutual recognition of return decisions voluntary for now. The 2026 figures show EU return operations at a higher volume than a year earlier, while voluntary returns remained the majority of Frontex-supported cases.