Contents Introduction ...........................................................................................................................07 1 The competence of the Ombudsman over the external monitoring of forced returns ..........................11 4 • Legal framework........................11 • Land operations of return.................................19 •O  rganisation, funding and networking..........................12 2 • Numerical data regarding returns...........................................14 • Numerical data regarding administrative detention in view of return .......................15 3 • Joint European return operations (flights)...................................19 Facts regarding the field of implementation of the external monitoring ............14 •T  he external monitoring of returns in 2017 at a glance...14 Visits to pre-removal centresProblems with the procedure of returns ....................................17 External monitoring of return operations of third country nationals ..............................19 • Operations of readmission to Turkey ..............................20 5 6 Co-operation with the complaints mechanism of FRONTEX........................22 The revised Handbook on Returns of the European Commission..........................24 Conclusion ...........................28