Last June, the European Parliament had approved a regulation on the returns of asylum-seeker migrants whose asylum applications were refused, including the possibility for its member countries to conclude agreements to establish detention centers outside the borders of the Union.
This Friday, Denmark, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands and Greece took a first step toward the creation of return centers for the refused migrants, with the objective of concluding an agreement with a third country by early 2027.
These hubs could host asylum seekers whose asylum applications have been refused and who cannot return to their country of origin.
The five countries, which met in Copenhagen, have assured that this model of return hubs would help make the migration system more “humane.” According to its framework principles, it “will also be a tool to break the business model of cynical migrant smugglers who exploit vulnerable people risking their lives on dangerous journeys to Europe.”
These return centers are not “camps,” assured the Danish Minister for Migration Morten Bødskov, host of the meeting. “This is about offering a new chance to irregular migrants who cannot return today to their country of origin and who have no legal basis to stay in our country,” he said.
For now, Uganda and especially Rwanda are considered possible destinations. Rwanda confirmed in August that it had begun “preliminary discussions” with several European states, without specifying which ones.
In turn, this regulation, aimed at speeding up expulsions, raises concerns among human rights defenders.
The Council of Europe, for its part, has sent letters to the migration policy commissioners of these five EU countries, submitting recommendations to address potential human rights violations linked to these centers.
The legislation has moreover not enjoyed unanimous support among the 27. French President Emmanuel Macron judged it ineffective and not in line with Europe’s values.
It should also be recalled that the United Kingdom had to abandon a similar scheme that planned to expel irregular migrants to Rwanda, while the centers run by Italy in Albania faced legal challenges and slow implementation.
