Brussels, 06/05/2008 (Agence Europe) - With the end of the legislative process in sight for the Returns Directive, the Greens/EFA group deputy leader, Belgian Pierre Jonckheer and Hélène Flautre, chairwoman of the human rights sub-committee, have expressed their opposition to the compromise text reached at the end of April in informal talks among the three European institutions (see EUROPE 9652). “We cannot accept that European law be built by aligning it with the most restrictive national practices” regarding illegal immigrants, the two MEPs said in a joint press release on Tuesday 6 May. “We call on our colleagues not to accept the compromise to respect the co-decision procedure between the Parliament and the Council,” they added. The Greens are calling for detention to be restricted strictly to the time needed to organise expulsion. Other arrangements are in their sights, such as the imposition of a readmission ban, the detention of families and unaccompanied minors or returning persons to transit countries and the lack of serious guarantees on appeals against decision to return or to detain. Two other groups, the PES and the GUE/NGL, do not support the compromise reached. On Wednesday 7 May, the Ambassadors of EU member states will discuss the compromise, with the Parliament due to consider it in plenary session in Strasbourg on 4 June. At the same time, pressure from NGOs is increasing over what they consider to be further regression on fundamental rights. A meeting will be held at 12.30 on Wednesday 7 May in the Place du Luxembourg in Brussels to call on MEPs to reject this text. A petition (http://www.directivedelahonte.org ), signed by 31,000 European citizens, 880 organisations and 400 political leaders, against the text will be handed to the President of the European Parliament. (B.C.)