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Five EU countries say they are moving closer to ‘return hubs’ for rejected asylum seekers outside Europe

From NRC Handelsblad · () Dutch

Translated from Dutch and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Denmark, Germany, Greece, Austria and the Netherlands agreed to hold deeper talks with countries that could host return hubs for rejected asylum seekers outside Europe.
  • The ministers said they want the first migrants transferred in 2027 and insisted the facilities would comply with European and international law.
  • Experts questioned the plan’s human-rights safeguards, while the countries declined to identify potential host states publicly.

Five European ministers gathered in Copenhagen to advance a plan for return hubs outside Europe for people whose asylum claims have been rejected. Their first message was emphatic: these facilities would be “no camps.”

No camps.

· Morten BødskovThe Danish minister insisted that the proposed return centers would not be camps.

Danish minister Morten Bødskov said the five countries, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Austria and the Netherlands, would begin “deeper talks” with countries considered suitable to host such centers. The ministers hope to send the first migrants there in 2027, with the hubs fully operating by the end of that year.

A new chance for irregular migrants who today cannot return to their own country, and for whom there is no legal basis to be in our countries.

· Morten BødskovBødskov explained how he viewed the purpose of the proposed facilities.

The governments insist that the arrangements would follow European and international law and respect migrants’ human rights. Experts remain doubtful. A similar British plan previously collapsed after the UK Supreme Court ruled that human rights were at stake. The five ministers did not name possible host countries, although people familiar with the discussions said countries including Rwanda, Uganda and Uzbekistan had been mentioned.

Open facility, where people can live and work, safely and orderly.

· Bart van den BrinkThe Dutch minister described the planned centers outside Europe.

Bødskov described the facilities as offering “a new chance” to irregular migrants who cannot currently return to their own countries and have no legal basis to remain in Europe. Dutch minister Bart van den Brink called the proposed centers “open facilities” where people could live and work “safely and orderly.” The ministers also argued that agreements with countries outside the EU could weaken smugglers’ business model and reduce deaths at sea. They plan to continue discussions later this month in Munich and seek agreement with host countries around the New Year.

The deaths at sea must stop.

· Gerhard KarnerThe Austrian minister linked the plan to efforts to deter dangerous migration journeys.
About this summary

Originally published by NRC Handelsblad in Dutch. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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