Home affairs ministers from European Union (EU) member states on Thursday urged that increased return rates should act as a deterrent to irregular migration.

"The EU and its member states must do more in terms of return," said a conclusion document after the migration session of the regular EU justice and home affairs ministers' meeting in Luxembourg.

Noting that the EU's Return Directive had come into force since January 2009, the conclusion said that the directive should be applied in a consistent and efficient manner to ensure high uniform standards of enforcement and to maintain a high level of mutual trust among EU member states.

Moreover, the ministers agreed that tools shall be mobilized to increase cooperation on return and readmission, calling on member states, the Commission and the European External Action Service to prioritize readmission in all relevant contacts at political level with countries of origin of irregular migrants.

The conclusion said that "readmission of own nationals is an obligation under international customary law and that all States need to abide by this obligation."

The Council (of the European Union) also welcomes the Commission's intention to consider setting up Frontex Rapid Return Intervention Teams, offering support on identification, consular cooperation with third-countries, and organizing return operations for member states, building on the hotspot experiences, said the conclusion.

"Relocation is only one part of a more comprehensive approach; effective return of those who have no right to stay is the other side of the coin and we have to become better at it," said European Commissioner in charge of migration Dimitris Avramopoulos at a press briefing on the sidelines of the meeting.

"The magnitude of the crisis makes it impossible to handle it in a fragmented and isolated manner," he said, noting that the EU can only address the ongoing refugee migration crisis if people make progress in all areas.

The two-day ministers' meeting was scheduled to focus on several issues related to migration, including future management of EU external borders and of the return policy. On Friday, the meeting will be centered on data protection.

A conference on the Eastern Mediterranean - Western Balkans route also took place later Thursday evening,

The conference focused on the important increase in the number of migrants coming from the Middle East through the Western Balkan route, with the aim to enhance engagement among all partners, increasing solidarity and ensuring an orderly management of refugee and migration flows.

According to a declaration issued after the conference, the countries related to the refugee crisis vow to respond collectively with solidarity, and increase the engagement of the broader international community.

EU ministers for home affairs and ministers for foreign affairs met with their counterparts from Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and the Western Balkans. The associated countries, Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland also attended.

Representatives from organizations such as UNHCR, the International Organization for Migration, the World Food Program, and EU agencies Frontex and EASO presented the situation on the ground.