Note

According to the “Return” Directive, detention should be an exceptional measure, allowed only when other less coercive measures cannot be applied to carry out a deportation.

However, in practice, several Member States make systematic use of detention, even though it is clearly defined as a measure of “last resort” in national law and even though national law gives priority to economic sanctions rather than detention (e.g. Spain).

The map shows the maximum period of detention in each Member state, as well as the evolution of the maximum period of detention between December 2010 [1] and 2013.

[1] Date that the « return directive » had to be transposed by all Member states, except the United Kingdom and Ireland.