IMMIGRATION : HUMAN RIGHTS ASSOCIATIONS WANT RETURNS DIRECTIVE SCRAPPED.

Ten associations are united in opposing the formal adoption, on 8 December in Brussels, of the highly controversial Returns Directive standardising the deportation procedures for natives of non-EU countries staying in Europe illegally. They urge the EU Council of Ministers to postpone the discussion and abandon the text.

Called the "shameful directive" by its opponents, the Returns Directive was approved by the European Parliament, on 18 June, thanks to votes from the Conservatives, as the majority party, and the Liberals, despite protests from NGOs but also from countries of origin in Africa...