The European Commission has expressed its desire to tackle the growing number of irregular migrants arriving in the European Union, with a new strategy for deportations announced on Tuesday.
"Those who do not need protection should return to their countries of origin," EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said in Brussels.
Johansson added that in 2022, more than 300,000 irregular migrants were registered, adding that most of these arrivals do not qualify for asylum.
A UNHCR statement said that an effective deportation strategy should "serve as a deterrent to help reduce unsafe and irregular migration".
The European Union has tried for several years to increase deportation rates, but with limited success.
The new strategy includes greater cooperation between EU member states and its affiliated agencies, such as Frontex and the bloc's border management agency, with faster decision-making and greater data sharing.
Johansson added that the commission would also like to increase deportation rates with migrants' countries of origin that cooperate well with the EU and do not have "political obstacles".
Over the past few years, most European countries have tightened their security measures at land borders and at sea, to prevent more migrants from reaching them, and a large number of those who have succeeded in arriving complain of the difficulty and complexity of the procedures necessary to grant them asylum.