Council adopts the Returns Directive

Message from Caritas Austria 17-12-2008:

Council adopts the Returns Directive

On 9 December the Council of the European Union adopted the Returns Directive with the abstention of Belgium. The Directive aims to set out common standards and procedures for the return of third country nationals staying irregularly in the Member States. The European Parliament voted in favour of the Directive on 18 June 2008. Once the Directive is published in the Official Journal, Member States will have 24 months to transpose it into national law, except for transposition of Article 13 (4) on legal assistance and representation, which must take place within 36 months.

Source: ECRE Weekly Bulletin, 12 December 2008
http://www.ecre.org/files/ECRE_Weekly_Bulletin_12%20December_2008.pdf