The European Parliament is preparing to vote on a set of common EU rules that would allow the detention of illegal immigrants for up to 18 months

The return directive was agreed by EU interior ministers on 5 June and it is backed by conservative and liberal MEPs. Socialists, Greens and several human rights groups oppose the legislation. The length of time an immigrant can be held before expulsion varies greatly across the 27-nation European Union. In France the detention limit is 32 days, in Hungary it is a year, in Latvia it is 20 months and in seven countries there is no time limit. The new rules would not automatically apply in Denmark, Ireland and the UK because they have negotiated opt-outs.