LOC16:57
13:57 GMT
BRUSSELS, Oct 7 (KUNA) -- European Union interior ministers meeting in
Luxembourg Thursday adopted an agreement between the EU and Pakistan on the
readmission of persons staying illegally in their respective territories.
The main objective of this agreement is to establish rapid and effective
procedures for the identification and safe and orderly return of those
persons, noted an EU statement.
The agreement will most likely enter into force on 1 December 2010. It will
apply only to those persons who entered into the territories of Pakistan and
of the EU member states after that date.
The agreement covers both readmission of own nationals of the two parties
and of third country nationals or stateless persons.
The European Commission estimated that about 13,000 illegal Pakistanis have
been arrested in EU member states in recent years.
The agreement also includes a number of other procedural rules, such as the
time-limits for the readmission applications, the modalities for the transfer
of the returnees, the cost of the transfer and the protection of personal data
of the returnees. (end)
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KUNA 071657 Oct 10NNNN