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🇮🇱 Israel /Elections & Politics

Five European nations seek deals to send migrants out of the EU

From Jerusalem Post · () English

Summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire Named sources New plan
  • Germany, Austria, Greece, Denmark and the Netherlands said they are working toward agreements with non-EU countries to establish migrant return hubs.
  • The five countries want to reach a deal this year, but they have not identified potential host countries.
  • Human rights groups and the Council of Europe have warned that the centers could undermine protections for asylum seekers.

Germany, Austria, Greece, Denmark and the Netherlands say they are taking concrete steps toward sending migrants without legal residency to return facilities outside the European Union. The five countries, known as the Group of Five, want to reach an agreement this year, although they have not named the countries that might host the centers.

“We want to reach an agreement with third countries this year that will enable the establishment of return hubs,” German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told reporters in Copenhagen. The group plans to meet again in Munich at the end of September.

We want to reach an agreement with third countries this year that will enable the establishment of return hubs.

· Alexander Dobrindt, German interior ministerHe described the Group of Five’s goal at a press conference in Copenhagen.

The initiative follows the European Parliament’s approval in June of an overhaul designed to speed up deportations and allow EU member states to establish centers abroad. Critics say the changes could weaken safeguards for asylum seekers. The Council of Europe warned in July that return hubs posed “considerable human rights risks,” while other organizations have also criticized the plan.

Return hubs focus on a small number of returns, they will not stop people from taking even more dangerous routes, and they could violate basic human rights.

· Charlotte Slente, secretary general of the Danish Refugee CouncilShe criticized the proposed centers and urged governments to implement the EU migration pact instead.

Charlotte Slente, secretary general of the Danish Refugee Council, said governments should instead focus on implementing the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum. That pact includes stricter border screening, faster asylum and return procedures, and expanded digital systems for managing claims.

“Return hubs focus on a small number of returns, they will not stop people from taking even more dangerous routes, and they could violate basic human rights,” Slente said. Denmark’s Immigration and Integration Minister Morten Bodskov said Denmark expected to be ready to send migrants to a return hub by the end of 2027. He called it “a new chance to have a life in a partner country.” The countries said they would consult the International Organization for Migration and the UN Refugee Agency, but a UNHCR spokesperson said the agency had not received details of a proposal.

It's a new chance to have a life in a partner country.

· Morten Bodskov, Danish immigration and integration ministerHe described Denmark’s view of the proposed return-hub system.
About this summary

Originally published by Jerusalem Post. 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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