EURODAC AS AN INSTRUMENT OF THE EU RETURN POLICY

Abstract

The proposed recast Eurodac Regulation of 2016 extends its previous scope so that both illegally residing third-country nationals and those who have entered the EU irregularly at its external borders could be identified and so that this information could be used by Member States to re-document them for return purposes. In this way Eurodac will, according to the European Commission, contribute to the fight against irregular migration. The proposal is meant to improve the effectiveness of the EU return policy by facilitating the identification of persons illegally on the territory of the EU. After it is adopted, the new Eurodac Regulation may be considered as an example of a flanking instrument of the EU return policy. It should be emphasised that on the one hand the provisions foreseen in the Regulation are highly valuable when it comes to ensuring the effectiveness of the EU return policy. On the other hand, however, it is still unknown what effects it will bring when adopted.