For the purpose of this report, 11.11.11 collected all available data on pushbacks from EU Member States to third countries for the year 2023. This concerns data from NGO reports, human rights organisations, UN organisations and government services. This information was supplemented with interviews with human rights organisations that are active in Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Greece and Bulgaria.

Based on the above-mentioned information, 11.11.11 concludes inter alia that nearly all countries at the European external borders have been systematically using violent pushbacks. In 2023 this trend was not only confirmed in terms of figures, with 346.004 pushbacks, or an average of 947 per day; in terms of legislation as well, pushbacks are increasingly threatening to become normalised. The common thread during these pushbacks remains brutal violence against men, women and children.

11.11.11 calls on the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU to take urgent and firm action against these fundamental rights violations. More specifically 11.11.11 asks Belgium and other EU Member States to inter alia advocate within the Council of the EU for an effective and independent monitoring mechanism that ensures respect for fundamental rights and to advocate within the Frontex management board for the immediate scale back of Frontex activities and limit them to monitoring in Member States that systematically break the rules.

For further details on the figures and recommendations, please read the full report attached below.