The EU’s 27 interior ministers gave the final green light today to the European regulation on the return of migrants without the right to remain in the EU, at a meeting in Luxembourg.

The legislation allows for the creation of return hubs outside the EU, where third-country nationals whose asylum applications have been rejected and who have received a return decision can be transferred.

The new rules complement the Migration and Asylum Pact and provide for common return procedures, as well as new obligations for people required to leave the EU.

Irish Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration Jim O’Callaghan said that around two in three people ordered to leave the EU ultimately do not do so, stressing that the new rules would help member states implement returns more quickly and effectively.

Under the new regulation, member states will be able to establish return hubs in third countries, provided they have first concluded a relevant agreement or arrangement with the host country. The agreement must provide for respect for international human rights rules and the principle of non-refoulement, while unaccompanied minors are excluded.

At the same time, the “European Return Order” is being introduced, with the aim of facilitating the recognition of return decisions issued by another member state. Mutual recognition of decisions will initially be voluntary and will be reviewed after three years.

The regulation will be published in the Official Journal of the EU and will enter into force on the day following its publication. The provisions on return hubs will apply immediately, while other provisions will come into force one year later.