African and Middle Eastern migrants in Puglia, Italy. (Photo: Massimo Todaro/Shutterstock)
The Christian Group on Migration and Asylum, a coalition of Christian Churches and agencies from across Europe that includes the Secretariat of COMECE, has expressed serious concern about the European Commission’s draft regulation for a new common European system for returns, in a statement released on Thursday, 18 September 2025. Download Statement
Representing Anglican, Orthodox, Protestant and Catholic traditions, as well as agencies working directly with migrants, refugees and displaced people, the group warns that the EC proposal risks prioritising “forced returns and detention – including of children and families – over voluntary return and respect for human dignity.”
While welcoming limited positive developments, such as “strengthened fundamental rights monitoring and improved support for reintegration”, the Christian Group highlights multiple areas of concern. These include “the expansion of detention, a punitive approach towards returnees, the use of ‘return hubs’ outside the EU, and insufficient safeguards for appeals and remedies.”
The statement underlines that “detention is harmful, costly, and ineffective, and insists that voluntary return should be the preferred option.” It also raises alarm over the “lack of an impact assessment for the proposed regulation, noting that past evidence suggests such measures are unlikely to achieve their stated goals.”
Through this statement, the Christian Group on Migration and Asylum reaffirmed its conviction that EU migration policies must be rooted in “the respect for human dignity, fundamental rights and the rule of law.” The Group also expressed the hope that EU institutions and Member States will take their concerns and expertise into account “to ensure a dignified return process.”
