Migrant return hub sought by five EU states for 2027

Five European Union countries are seeking a deal with a non-EU country to host a return hub for migrants whose asylum applications have been rejected, with the aim of making it operational by 2027.

Denmark, Greece, Austria, Germany and the Netherlands agreed to the initiative as Copenhagen hosted talks on migrant detention centres outside Europe.

Danish Migrations Minister Morten Bodskov said the countries expected to have a common understanding with a partner country outside the EU around New Year. He did not name the country.

Greek Migration and Asylum Minister Thanos Plevris said the goal was to have the return hub operational outside the European Union by 2027, and that discussions were at an advanced stage. Denmark had earlier said it was ready to send rejected asylum seekers to such hubs by the end of 2027, not the start.

Uganda and Rwanda were described as possibilities. Rwanda confirmed in August that it had opened preliminary talks on the subject with unnamed European countries.

In June, the European Parliament approved tougher migration rules that give authorities broader detention powers and allow the creation of return hubs. Rights groups have severely criticised the idea.

Britain abandoned a scheme to deport undocumented migrants to Rwanda. Italian-run facilities to process migrants in Albania have faced legal challenges and slow uptake.

The five countries said the model would help make the migration system “more humane” and break the business model of migrant smugglers. Bodskov said the centres would not be camps.

Not all EU member states support the plan. French President Emmanuel Macron has dismissed it as ineffective and incompatible with European values. European Parliament member Melissa Camara of the Ecologists said the Copenhagen meeting marked another step away from EU values and the dignity of exiled people.