Trending 
Five European Union (EU) countries have agreed to establish a migrant “return hub” outside the bloc for people whose asylum applications have been rejected, with officials aiming to reach an agreement with a non-EU partner country by the start of next year.
Denmark, Greece, Austria, Germany and the Netherlands reached the agreement during talks hosted by Copenhagen on creating facilities outside Europe where rejected asylum seekers could be transferred while awaiting removal.
Danish Migration Minister Morten Bodskov said the countries expected to reach a common understanding with an unnamed partner outside the European Union “around New Year”.
“Those who have received a rejection of their asylum application should leave Europe. We do not accept that foreigners staying illegally in Denmark should be rewarded because of our difficulties in returning them,” Bodskov said.
The identity of the potential host country has not been disclosed, though Uganda and Rwanda have been mentioned as possible locations for such facilities.
Greek Migration and Asylum Minister Thanos Plevris said the objective was to have the first return hub operating outside the EU by 2027.
“The goal is to have the return hub operational in a country outside the European Union by 2027,” Plevris said as he arrived for the meeting.
The Danish government had earlier indicated it could begin sending rejected asylum seekers to such centres by the end of 2027, rather than at the start of the year.
The proposal follows a broader shift in European migration policy. In June, the European Parliament approved stricter migration rules that expanded authorities’ powers to detain migrants and allowed the creation of “return hubs” for people who have exhausted asylum options.
However, the plan has drawn criticism from human rights organisations, which have questioned the legality, oversight and conditions of sending migrants to facilities outside Europe.
Previous attempts by European countries to establish similar arrangements have faced difficulties. The United Kingdom abandoned a plan to send undocumented migrants to Rwanda after legal challenges, while Italy’s migrant processing centres in Albania have experienced delays and limited use.
The five EU countries say the proposed system would improve the return process for rejected asylum seekers, but critics argue that questions remain over accountability and the protection of migrants’ rights.
