47Secondly, by providing that the Member States are, in principle, required to grant a period for voluntary departure to illegally-staying third-country nationals, Article 7 of Directive 2008/115 seeks, inter alia, to ensure that the fundamental rights of those nationals are observed in the implementation of a return decision taken under Article 6 of that directive. In accordance with Article 79(2) TFEU, the objective of Directive 2008/115 is, as is apparent from recitals 2 and 11 in the preamble thereto, to establish an effective removal and repatriation policy, based on common standards and common legal safeguards, for persons to be returned in a humane manner and with full respect for their fundamental rights and dignity (see judgment in Mahdi, C‑146/14 PPU, EU:C:2014:1320, paragraph 38).
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