(MADRID) - Spain plans to extend the period under which illegal immigrants can be held in custody from the current 40 days, Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba said Thursday.

He did not say what the new limit would be, saying only during a radio interview that it would be less than the "excessive" maximum of six months allowed for under a new European Union agreement.

"There will be no reduction in rights for immigrants," he told Cadena Ser radio.

Rubalcaba said the repatriation process for an illegal immigrant was complex, as such immigrants did not want to return home and their countries of origin often did not want them back.

More than 40 days were therefore needed to arrange their return, he said.

The European has taken steps to harmonize the repatriation procedure for illegal immigrants, which varies greatly among its 27 member states.

Some EU countries, such as Malta, have an 18-month maximum period that an illegal migrant can be held in custody, while seven others, including Britain, have no limit.

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