In the second quarter of this year, a total of 96,115 non-EU citizens were issued removal orders from EU countries, with 25,285 individuals returning to their home countries following these orders.
Compared to the first quarter of 2024, removal orders decreased by seven per cent, while returns to third countries saw a 3.9 per cent decline, Schengen.News reports.
According to the EU’s statistical office, Eurostat, comparing these data with the same quarter in 2023, the number of non-EU citizens ordered to leave fell by ten per cent, while returns to third countries rose significantly by 21.3 per cent.
Among those ordered to leave, Algerian and Moroccan nationals each represented the largest group at seven per cent, followed closely by Turkish and Syrian citizens at six per cent. In terms of returns, Georgian nationals made up the highest percentage at ten per cent, followed by Albanians at eight per cent and Turkish citizens at seven per cent.
Looking at national data, the highest numbers of non-EU citizens ordered to leave the territory of an EU country were recorded in France (31,195), Germany (12,885) and Greece (6,555). France (3,555), Germany (2,830) and Sweden (2,360) recorded the highest number of people returned to third countries.
Over 107,000 Non-EU Citizens Ordered to Leave EU in 2023
Based on the Eurostat report in 2023, from July to September, there has been a significant change in the number of non-EU citizens ordered to leave the EU, as well as those returned to their countries.
In this regard, the same authority revealed that over 107,135 non-EU citizens received leave orders during this period, marking a four per cent decrease compared to the same time in 2022.
Conversely, the number of individuals who successfully returned to their countries showed a positive trend. With 27,095 people returned, this figure represents a 12 per cent increase in the third quarter of this year.
Moreover, Eurostat data showed that Moroccan citizens constituted the largest share of leave orders, accounting for eight per cent.
They were closely followed by Syrians and Algerians, each making up seven per cent of the total orders. Additionally, citizens from Afghanistan, Türkiye, and Georgia represented six per cent and seven per cent of the leave orders during July, August, and September.
Eurostat further reported that approximately 81 per cent of individuals who were returned following an order to leave the EU were sent to countries outside the EU.