Five EU Countries Agree to Create Centers for Expelling Migrants Outside the European Union
Denmark, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and Greece have agreed on common principles for creating so-called return hubs outside the European Union. Migrants who have been denied the right to remain in the EU and cannot be promptly returned to their countries of origin are planned to be sent there.
The decision was made on 4 September at a meeting of ministers from the five countries in Copenhagen. The countries agreed on three basic principles of the future system and a common timeframe for the necessary national legal procedures. The next stage will be negotiations with states outside the EU willing to host such centers.
The first migrants may be sent as early as 2027
Danish Immigration Minister Morten Bødskov stated that the initiative participants expect to be ready to send the first migrants to a partner country outside the EU already in 2027. The specific country where the centers may be located has not yet been officially named.
According to European media, Rwanda and Uganda are among the potential partners being considered, but the governments of the five countries have not yet confirmed this. Negotiations with possible partners are ongoing.
It is expected that before concluding agreements, representatives of European countries will visit potential partner states and assess whether conditions there meet established requirements, including respect for human rights.
Who will be sent to such centers
The new model primarily concerns foreigners who have been finally denied asylum or other grounds for legal stay in EU countries, but who for various reasons cannot be immediately returned to their country of origin.
They may be transferred to a center in a third country, where they will stay until a further decision on return is made or get the opportunity to remain in the partner state. Danish authorities emphasize that this should not be about prisons, and the scheme itself must comply with European and international law.
Thus, the initiative does not mean automatic sending of all migrants outside the EU and does not concern people who are legally staying in EU countries.
Countries agreed on three principles
The first principle stipulates that the new system should actually reduce illegal migration to the EU and at the same time hit the business model of smugglers who organize illegal transportation of people.
The second requires the model to comply with EU legislation, international law and human rights protection requirements. The third assumes the creation of centers only on the basis of agreements with third countries, which should be mutually beneficial for both sides.
The negotiating partners expect to make significant progress in choosing a partner country in the coming months. A new meeting of ministers from the five countries is scheduled for the end of September in Munich.
The EU is tightening rules on returning migrants
The initiative is developing against the backdrop of a broader reform of the EU's migration policy. In June, the European Parliament supported rules that allow EU countries to conclude agreements with third countries on creating return centers outside the bloc. The final formalization of the relevant regulation is expected after further coordination between EU institutions.
However, the idea of external centers draws criticism from human rights organizations. They warn that placing migrants outside EU territory could complicate monitoring of their rights. The authorities of the five countries, for their part, assert that the new model will be implemented exclusively within the framework of European and international law.
Based on materials from: Danish Ministry of Immigration and Integration, Euronews, Associated Press
