Five European Union countries have agreed to pursue an arrangement with a non-EU country to establish a “return hub” for migrants whose asylum applications have been rejected.
Denmark, Greece, Austria, Germany and the Netherlands reached the agreement during talks in Copenhagen as European governments intensify efforts to speed up the return of people who have no legal right to remain in the bloc.
Danish Minister of Immigration and Integration Morten Bødskov said the five countries expected to reach a preliminary understanding with a partner country outside the EU around the end of the year.
“Around New Year, we expect to have a common understanding with a partner country outside of the European Union,” Bødskov told reporters after Friday’s meeting.
He said the participating countries hoped to begin transferring irregular migrants to a partner country in 2027.
“The EU legal framework is in place for the establishment of a return hub model, and as today’s guiding principles form the basis for the way forward, seen from a Danish perspective, we expect to be ready to transfer the first irregular migrants to a partner country outside the European Union within 2027,” he said.
Under the current European migration system, many migrants whose asylum claims have been rejected cannot immediately be deported because of legal, practical or humanitarian obstacles. Some subsequently remain in Europe without legal status for extended periods.
Bødskov said Denmark wanted to prevent rejected migrants from benefiting from difficulties in carrying out returns.
“We do not accept that foreigners staying illegally in Denmark should be rewarded because of our difficulties in returning them,” he said in an earlier statement.
“That’s why it is not a small story. We are transforming EU asylum and migration policy in this process here.”
The five countries have not identified the potential host country or countries. Uganda and Rwanda have emerged as possible candidates, although no agreement has been announced with either country.
The initiative follows a decision by the European Parliament in June to approve tougher migration rules that provide for the establishment of “return hubs” outside the EU.
Under the proposed system, migrants whose asylum applications have been rejected could potentially be transferred to designated third countries while arrangements are made for their eventual return to their countries of origin.
The plans have drawn strong criticism from human rights organisations, which have raised concerns about the treatment and legal rights of migrants transferred to countries outside the EU.
The proposal also follows previous European attempts to establish third-country arrangements for migrants.
The United Kingdom abandoned its controversial plan to send some undocumented migrants to Rwanda, while Italy’s scheme to process migrants in facilities in Albania has encountered legal challenges and relatively low use.
The five EU countries nonetheless argue that new mechanisms are needed to make migration policy more effective and ensure that people whose asylum claims have been rejected can be returned in accordance with the law.
If negotiations with a partner country succeed, the first transfers under the new “return hub” model could begin in 2027.
