On 19 May 2021, the European Parliament adopted a report making recommendations on human rights protection within the framework of the EU’s external asylum and migration policy. The Parliament criticised the practice of the EU and several Member States that have been entering into an increasing number of informal agreements with third countries since 2016 in order to strengthen their operational capacities as regards border control and the fight against human trafficking. It highlighted that these informal agreements neither guarantee a predictable policy nor provide any coherent statutory framework on irregular migration. MEPs also criticised the use of these informal agreements with third countries with respect to the return and readmission of irregular migrants, arguing that these informal agreements lack safeguards ensuring the rights of third-country nationals. The Parliament therefore urged the Commission to sign readmission agreements with third countries which would replace these informal agreements and called out the lack of effective judicial remedies for asylum seekers whose rights may have been violated.