Brussels: Europe and the Arabs

In the second quarter of 2024, more than 96,000 non-EU citizens were ordered to leave an EU country, and more than 25,000 people were returned to third countries after being ordered to leave.
According to figures released by the European Statistical Office in Brussels, compared to the first quarter of 2024, the number of departure orders decreased by 7%, while the number of returns to third countries decreased by 3.9%.
However, compared to the same quarter of 2023, the number of non-EU citizens ordered to leave decreased by 10%, while the number of people returned to third countries increased by more than 3%
Among non-EU citizens ordered to leave the territory of an EU country in this period, Algerian and Moroccan citizens had the largest share of the total (each with 7%), followed by Turks and Syrians (each with 6%). Among those returned to third countries, the majority were citizens of Georgia (10%), followed by Albania (8%) and Turkey (7%).

Looking at national data, the highest numbers of non-EU citizens ordered to leave the territory of an EU country were recorded in France (31,195), Germany (12,885) and Greece (6,555).

France (3,555), Germany (2,830) and Sweden (2,360) recorded the highest numbers of people returned to third countries.