Germany and partners aim to agree migrant return hubs by year-end
Germany, Denmark, Greece, Austria and the Netherlands aim to conclude an agreement by the end of the year with a country outside the EU on establishing return hubs for migrants whose asylum applications have been rejected. Deutsche Welle reported this following a meeting of ministers in Copenhagen.
Negotiations with third countries
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said after talks with his counterparts that the countries want to reach an agreement with third countries this year. According to him, this would make it possible to establish so-called return hubs — detention centers outside the European Union to which migrants with rejected asylum applications are planned to be sent.
Dobrindt added that “technical discussions” with countries outside the EU are ongoing, but did not name potential partners. DW notes that Uganda and Rwanda are being considered among possible locations for such centers.
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Plans for 2027
Danish Migration Minister Morten Bødskov said that around the New Year, the countries expect to reach a common understanding with a partner outside the EU. The migration ministers of Denmark and Greece expressed the desire for the centers to begin operating in 2027.
In June, the European Parliament approved stricter migration rules, which paved the way for establishing such centers. Human rights groups have widely criticized the initiative. The scheme was previously briefly introduced by the UK’s Conservative government, but was abandoned after the Labour Party came to power. The government of Italy’s Giorgia Meloni concluded a similar agreement with Albania, which is facing legal challenges.
