New European travel document to ease return of non-EU nationals

The European Parliament's plenary session endorsed on 15 September 2016 a proposal from the European Commission for a standard European travel document to speed up the return of non-EU nationals staying irregularly in member states without valid passports or identity cards. A key aim for the members of parliaments was to strenghten the form's security features and technical safeguards, so as to promote its acceptance by third countries.

The proposal was adopted by the Commission in December 2015. The Council of the European Union and the parliament reached an informal agreement in June 2016. The Council still needed to formally endorse the draft law before adoption.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: European travel document for illegally staying migrants http://www.europeansources.info/record/european-travel-document-for-illegally-stayingmigrants/

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