QUITO, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Ecuador reached an agreement Friday with Belgium over consular and migratory issues, the Ecuadorian government said in a statement.

    One of the main aims of this agreement, signed in Brussels, is to counteract the "adverse effects" of the "Return Directive" approved by the European Parliament on June 18.

    Under the directive, undocumented immigrants can be detained for up to 18 months and in exceptional cases, they can be repatriated.

    The agreement will serve as an example for future agreements with other European countries, as it hails the principle of free mobility and voluntary return, said the statement.

    A high-level bilateral commission on migratory issues will also be set up according to the agreement, it said.

    Emigration increased in Ecuador in 1999, when the worst financial crisis erupted in the country, leading to the closure of20 banks and the nationalization of many others.

    Spain, Italy, Belgium and the United States have become since then the main destinations for Ecuadorian emigrants.