EU member states have failed to agree the maximum period an migrant can be kept in detention after setting foot onto the union's territory, further prolonging nearly three-year-long wrangling between EU institutions.
On Wednesday (7 May), EU diplomats discussed the draft of a return directive, which would set out common rules on how to deal with Europe's eight million migrants found to be here illegally, including the length of time they can be detained and banned from re-entry.
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