WARSAW, POLAND / RankWire.AI / – Frontex supported the repatriation of more than 33,000 individuals from European Union member states to countries outside the EU during the initial six months of 2026. This figure surpasses the approximately 30,000 returns documented during the same period in 2025. Of those returning, roughly 21,000 did so voluntarily, marking an increase from about 19,000 in the previous year. Since 2022, the total number of Frontex-supported returns has now reached about 215,000 people.
The European Border and Coast Guard Agency provides operational assistance to national governments following the issuance of enforceable return orders. Such orders are issued once individuals have exhausted all legal options to remain within the EU. National authorities determine whether each departure is voluntary or enforced, with Frontex offering support for eligible cases. Its assistance can include case management, coordinating travel, documenting support, and facilitating departures from participating member states.
Germany, France, Cyprus, Belgium, and Sweden reported the highest numbers of Frontex-assisted returns from January through June. The majority of returnees held citizenship from Türkiye, Syria, Georgia, Colombia, India, Brazil, Albania, Morocco, Nigeria, and Iraq. During this half-year period, Frontex deployed 109 Return Specialists across 15 member states and sent 118 Return Escort and Support Officers to 11 countries to aid national authorities in managing departure logistics and procedures.
Voluntary returns still constitute the majority
Reintegration support funded by the EU experienced a notable rise in the first half of the year. Nearly 14,000 individuals registered for reintegration services, compared to about 8,000 during the same period in 2025. Over 80% of these participants had returned voluntarily. Such support includes vocational training, counselling, and grants for small businesses. Member states may also register eligible returnees for assistance even when Frontex did not directly facilitate their journey back home.
Return Specialists collaborate with national agencies on individual cases and help explain the available return and reintegration options. They also assist in obtaining identity and travel documents from countries of origin. Some departures are accompanied by Return Escort and Support Officers, who handle practical airport and flight procedures. These deployments are part of Frontex’s broader return activities across the EU. The agency’s figures distinguish between operational return support and wider reintegration registrations.
Progress in EU return policies in 2026
This recent data coincides with ongoing efforts by the European Union to develop a unified legal framework for returns. Negotiators reached a provisional agreement on June 1, and the European Parliament approved its first reading on June 17 with a vote of 418 in favor, 218 against, and 30 abstentions. The proposed framework targets third-country nationals without a legal right to stay in the EU, introducing a European Return Order to facilitate recognition of return decisions across member states.
The new rules also establish return hubs in non-EU countries, which must operate in accordance with international law and human rights standards. Under the current draft, unaccompanied minors cannot be transferred to such hubs. Additional provisions address individuals considered security threats. While mutual recognition of return decisions remains voluntary for now, Frontex’s supported return figures increased in early 2026, with voluntary departures continuing to make up the majority of cases.