The so-called "Repatriation Directive" will be submitted to the European Parliament on 17 and 18 June. Voted by the vast majority of the Public Freedoms Commission of the Assembly in September 2007, the act had at first received different responses by the 27 governments of the member states, which instead have reached an agreement in the last few days, during the meeting of Coreper, the Committee of Permanent Representatives (Ambassadors) of the States to the European Union. In the run-up to the voting in Parliament, more and more political groups of Parliament are changing their minds, in addition to Gue (United Left), which had always been against the content of the Directive. The act was voted against also by many NGOs and associations working for migrants, many of which had organised a rally in Brussels on May 7th. In addition, doubts about the Directive have also been voiced by mgr. Agostino Marchetto, Secretary of the Papal Council of Migrants. As to "forced" repatriations (which sometimes also apply to children), the European Churches prefer the option of "voluntary returns".
