The Returns Directive is the principal EU instrument for laying down the common standards and procedures in Member States to return third-country nationals who do not or no longer fulfil the conditions for entry, stay or residence within the territory of any EU country. No EU legal migration and asylum policy can be credible without the effective return of those third-country nationals who are staying in the EU illegally.

The offered course will help officials of national immigration and other law enforcement authorities, judges, lawyers, officials of EU institutions, officials of governmental and non-governmental organisations and other practitioners dealing with returns decisions to understand the Returns Directive better. The course will seek to help participants familiarise themselves with the evolving case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union and the national courts in adjudicating national returns decisions and provide the opportunity to have an in-depth exchange on the operational challenges they face in executing removal. The course will also be practice-oriented in the sense that it will offer examples and best practice as to the application of the Returns Directive and provide a practical insight into how help from European agencies can be requested to carry out returns.