The Agency shall aim at building synergies and connecting Union-funded networks and programmes in the field of return in close cooperation with the Commission and with the support of relevant stakeholders, including the European Migration Network.

The Agency may make use of the financial means of the Union which are available for return activities. The Agency shall ensure that in its grant agreements with Member States any financial support is conditional upon the full respect for the Charter.

Without entering into the merits of return decisions and in accordance with Directive 2008/115/EC, the Agency shall provide the necessary assistance and, at the request of one or several participating Member States, ensure the coordination or the organisation of return operations, including through the chartering of aircraft for the purpose of such operations. The Agency may, on its own initiative, propose to Member States that it coordinate or organise return operations.

Member States shall on a monthly basis inform the Agency of their indicative planning of the number of returnees and of the third countries of return, both with respect to relevant national return operations, and of their needs for assistance or coordination by the Agency. The Agency shall draw up a rolling operational plan to provide the requesting Member States with the necessary operational reinforcements, including through technical equipment. The Agency may, on its own initiative or at the request of a Member State, include in the rolling operational plan the dates and destinations of return operations it considers necessary, based on a needs assessment. The management board shall decide, on a proposal of the executive director, on the modus operandi of the rolling operational plan.

The Agency may provide the necessary assistance and, either at the request of the participating Member States or on the basis of its own proposal, ensure the coordination or the organisation of return operations for which the means of transport and forced-return escorts are provided by a third country of return (‘collecting return operations’). The participating Member States and the Agency shall ensure that the respect for fundamental rights, the principle of non-refoulement, and the proportionate use of means of constraints are guaranteed during the entire return operation. At least one Member State representative, and one forced-return monitor from the pool established under Article 29 or from the national monitoring system of the participating Member State, shall be present throughout the entire return operation until arrival at the third country of return.

The executive director shall draw up a return plan without delay for collecting return operations. The executive director and any participating Member State shall agree on the plan detailing the organisational and procedural aspects of the collecting return operation, taking account of the fundamental rights implications and risks of such operations. Any amendment to or adaptation of this plan shall require the agreement of the parties referred to in paragraph 3 and in this paragraph.

The return plan of collecting return operations shall be binding on the Agency and any participating Member State. It shall cover all the necessary steps for carrying out the collecting return operation.

Every return operation shall be monitored in accordance with Article 8(6) of Directive 2008/115/EC. The monitoring of forced-return operations shall be carried out by the forced-return monitor on the basis of objective and transparent criteria and shall cover the whole return operation from the pre-departure phase until the hand-over of the returnees in the third country of return. The forced-return monitor shall submit a report on each forced-return operation to the executive director, the fundamental rights officer and to the competent national authorities of all the Member States involved in the given operation. If necessary, appropriate follow-up shall be ensured by the executive director and competent national authorities respectively.

If the Agency has concerns regarding the respect of fundamental rights in respect of return operation, it shall communicate them to the participating Member States and to the Commission.

The executive director shall evaluate the results of the return operations. Every six months, he or she shall transmit a detailed evaluation report covering all return operations conducted in the previous semester to the management board, together with the observations of the fundamental rights officer. The executive director shall make a comprehensive comparative analysis of those results with a view to enhancing the quality, coherence and effectiveness of future return operations. The executive director shall include that analysis in the Agency's annual activity report.

The Agency shall finance or co-finance return operations from its budget, in accordance with the financial rules applicable to the Agency, giving priority to those conducted by more than one Member State, or from hotspot areas.

The Agency shall, after consulting the fundamental rights officer, constitute a pool of forced-return monitors from competent bodies who carry out forced-return monitoring activities in accordance with Article 8(6) of Directive 2008/115/EC and who have been trained in accordance with Article 36 of this Regulation.

The management board shall, on a proposal of the executive director determine the profile and the number of forced-return monitors to be made available to that pool. The same procedure shall apply with regard to any subsequent changes in the profile and overall numbers. Member States shall be responsible for contributing to the pool by nominating forced-return monitors corresponding to the defined profile. Forced-return monitors with specific expertise in child protection shall be included in the pool.

Member States' contribution of forced-return monitors to return operations and interventions for the following year shall be planned on the basis of annual bilateral negotiations and agreements between the Agency and Member States. In accordance with those agreements, Member States shall make the forced-return monitors available for deployment at the request of the Agency, unless they are faced with an exceptional situation substantially affecting the discharge of national tasks. Such a request shall be made at least 21 working days before the intended deployment, or five working days in case of a rapid return intervention.

The Agency shall make the forced-return monitors available upon request to participating Member States to monitor, on their behalf, the correct implementation of the return operation and return interventions throughout their duration. It shall make available forced-return monitors with specific expertise in child protection for any return operation involving children.

Forced-return monitors shall remain subject to the disciplinary measures of their home Member State in the course of a return operation or return intervention.

The Agency shall constitute a pool of forced-return escorts from national competent bodies who carry out return operations in accordance with the requirements referred to in Article 8(4) and (5) of Directive 2008/115/EC and who have been trained in accordance with Article 36 of this Regulation.

The management board on a proposal of the executive director shall determine the profile and the number of forced-return escorts to be made available to that pool. The same procedure shall apply with regard to any subsequent changes in the profile and overall numbers. Member States shall contribute to the pool by nominating forced-return escorts corresponding to the defined profile. Forced-return escorts with specific expertise in child protection shall be included in the pool.

Member States' contribution of forced-return escorts to return operations and interventions for the following year shall be planned on the basis of annual bilateral negotiations and agreements between the Agency and Member States. In accordance with those agreements, Member States shall make the forced-return escorts available for deployment at the request of the Agency, unless they are faced with an exceptional situation substantially affecting the discharge of national tasks. Such a request shall be made at least 21 working days before the intended deployment, or five working days in case of a rapid return intervention.

The Agency shall make the forced-return escorts available upon request to participating Member States to escort returnees on their behalf and to take part in return operations and interventions. It shall make available forced-return escorts with specific expertise in child protection for any return operation involving children.

Forced-return escorts shall remain subject to the disciplinary measures of their home Member State in the course of a return operation or return intervention.

The Agency shall constitute a pool of return specialists from national competent bodies and from the staff of the Agency, who have the skills and expertise required to carry out return-related activities and who have been trained in accordance with Article 36. Those specialists shall be made available to carry out specific tasks, such as identification of particular groups of third-country nationals, the acquisition of travel documents from third countries and facilitation of consular cooperation.

The management board, on a proposal of the executive director shall determine the profile and the number of return specialists to be made available to that pool. The same procedure shall apply with regard to any subsequent changes in the profile and overall numbers. Member States shall contribute to the pool by nominating specialists corresponding to the defined profile. Return specialists with specific expertise in child protection shall be included in the pool.

Member States' contribution of return specialists to return operations and interventions for the following year shall be planned on the basis of annual bilateral negotiations and agreements between the Agency and Member States. In accordance with those agreements, Member States shall make the return specialists available for deployment at the request of the Agency, unless they are faced with an exceptional situation substantially affecting the discharge of national tasks. Such a request shall be made at least 21 working days before the intended deployment, or five working days in case of a rapid return intervention.

The Agency shall make the return specialists available upon request to Member States participating in return operations and to take part in return interventions. It shall make available return specialists with specific expertise in child protection for any return operation involving children.

Return specialists shall remain subject to the disciplinary measures either of the Agency or of their home Member State in the course of a return operation or return intervention.

The Agency shall constitute, from the pools set out in Articles 29, 30 and 31, tailor-made European return intervention teams for deployment during return interventions.

Articles 21, 22 and 24 shall apply mutatis mutandis to the European return intervention teams.

In circumstances where a Member State is facing a burden when implementing the obligation to return third-country nationals who are the subject of return decisions issued by a Member State, the Agency shall, upon request of that Member State, provide the appropriate technical and operational assistance in the form of a return intervention. Such intervention may consist of the deployment of European return intervention teams to the host Member State and the organisation of return operations from the host Member State.

In circumstances where a Member State is facing specific and disproportionate challenges when implementing its obligation to return third-country nationals who are the subject of return decisions issued by a Member State, the Agency shall, upon the request of that Member State, provide the appropriate technical and operational assistance in the form of a rapid return intervention. The Agency may propose on its own initiative to provide that Member State with such technical and operational assistance. A rapid return intervention may consist in the rapid deployment of European return intervention teams to the host Member State and the organisation of return operations from the host Member State.

In the context of a return intervention, the executive director shall draw up an operational plan without delay, in agreement with the host Member State and the participating Member States. The relevant provisions of Article 16 shall apply.

The executive director shall take a decision on the operational plan as soon as possible and, in the case referred to in paragraph 2, within five working days. The decision shall be immediately notified, in writing, to the Member States concerned and to the management board.

The Agency shall finance or co-finance return interventions from its budget in accordance with the financial rules applicable to the Agency.