Deporting asylum seekers whose claims have been rejected is key to the success of the European Union's migration pact, says Michael Spindelegger, head of an influential EU-funded migration advisory body. The EU migration pact, adopted last year and set to come into force in June 2026, hardens procedures for asylum-seekers at its borders. "It is very important that a well-functioning return policy is established in the spirit of the pact," adds Spindelegger, director general of the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) in Vienna. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES