Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, brought together forced-return monitors from across the EU for their latest network meeting on 5-6 November 2025 in Warsaw. Participants discussed the current and future state of return monitoring and how to strengthen a return system that is humane, safe and respectful of fundamental rights.
Forced-return monitoring is an essential tool to ensure that any return operation fully respects fundamental rights. It relies on objective, clearly defined criteria that support consistency and fairness in managing returns and help identify best practices.
The meeting gathered the Pool of Forced-Return Monitors. The Pool consists of national monitors from EU Member States and fundamental rights monitors nominated by the Frontex Fundamental Rights Office (FRO). Alongside escorts, medical professionals and interpreters, they participate in implementing return decisions issued by Member States, while respecting the fundamental rights of returnees.
At the centre of the discussions was a shared conviction that fundamental rights are the essence of every return operation. Returns must remain humane, safe and rights-compliant, and dignity, legality and fairness must continue to guide all actors involved in the process.
Participants underlined the need for more structured cooperation between all those engaged in the monitoring of return operations and the need for an integrated EU monitoring system. They highlighted the importance of a two-track support mechanism in which both the EU level and the national level play a clearly defined and complementary role.
The Fundamental Rights Office, as an independent entity within Frontex, plays a key role in this framework. Through its monitoring activities and regular reporting on observed practices, the FRO promotes transparency and accountability across operations and supports the continuous improvement of return monitoring.
The meeting also provided an opportunity for participants to share experiences from recent operations, exchange practices and suggest concrete improvements to working methods.
The conclusion that emerged from the network meeting is a credible return system must be built on cooperation, trust and a shared commitment to fundamental rights. A strong and independent return monitoring system, supported jointly by EU and national actors, is a cornerstone of this common foundation.
Read more about Fundamental rights at Frontex, and the Agency’s work on return operations.
