It actually seems to have been drafted only to deal with refused refugee claimants and not persons who were denied hearings before the IRB.

I particularly welcome, in this resolution, the statement that there should be no forced return of Iraqi refugees, or of those who have had their claims turned down that are currently living in the European Union, and at present we certainly need to find a status for such people, rather than leaving them destitute in our own Member States, as is happening in some places.

I particularly welcome, in this resolution, the statement that there should be no forced return of Iraqi refugees, or of those who have had their claims turned down that are currently living in the European Union, and at present we certainly need to find a status for such people, rather than leaving them destitute in our own Member States, as is happening in some places.

It makes four points: one, financial aid to refugees is poorly distributed; two, the current asylum system is of no benefit to the great majority of refugees, the most vulnerable, who are still in place with little protection; three, the very great majority of asylum seekers in the European Union do not meet the criteria needed to obtain the status of refugee or additional protection; four, those denied the right of asylum usually stay here illegally without being sent back to their countries of origin.

Organising group returns would help to make the very principle of expulsion a matter of routine, and there is a danger that this will lead to greater use of expedited procedures for consideration of asylum applications and to less careful consideration of appeals, in order to save money when organising such joint flights. In this context a paradoxical aspect of the Member States' action may be noted: while they are unable to reach agreement on the procedures for recognition of the status of refugee, they have no difficulty in agreeing on those for the return of applicants whose case has been dismissed.

It might also be possible, in this concept, to return to the so-called "regional protection areas" failed asylum seekers who have reached Europe but have been found not to have a well-founded claim to refugee status, but who cannot be immediately returned to their country of origin.