Five European Countries Seek to Open Migrant Return Center Outside the EU

Denmark, Greece, Austria, Germany and the Netherlands are backing a plan to establish a migrant return center outside the European Union, but the country that would host it remains undisclosed.

The proposed center would receive migrants whose applications have been rejected in the EU. Danish Migration Minister Morten Bodskov said the participating countries hoped to reach a common understanding with a partner country around New Year. The proposal aims for the center to begin operating on January 1 next year, according to the report.

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We hope to have a common understanding with a partner country outside the European Union around New Year.

Greek Migration and Asylum Minister Thanos Plevris said, on arriving at the Copenhagen meeting, that the goal was to have the facility operating in a non-EU country by 2027. Denmark had previously said it was prepared to send rejected asylum seekers to such centers by the end of 2027, rather than at the beginning of that year.

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We do not accept that foreigners who remain illegally in Denmark should be rewarded by the difficulties we face in returning them.

The country or countries involved in the negotiations have not been identified. Uganda and Rwanda are generally viewed as possible options. Bodskov said Denmark would not accept a situation in which foreigners staying illegally in the country were rewarded because authorities faced difficulties returning them.

The European Parliament approved stricter migration rules in June. They give authorities broader detention powers and allow the creation of return centers. Human rights organizations have strongly criticized sending migrants to third countries. Britain abandoned a plan to send undocumented migrants to Rwanda, while Italian-run facilities for migrants in Albania have encountered legal problems.

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The return center should be operational in a country outside the European Union by 2027.