Five European Union countries are working toward an agreement with an unnamed country outside the bloc to establish a “return hub” for migrants whose asylum claims have been rejected, with the arrangement intended to begin on 1 January, Denmark’s migration minister said.
Denmark, Greece, Austria, Germany and the Netherlands backed the plan during talks in Copenhagen focused on setting up migrant detention facilities beyond Europe’s borders.
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“Around New Year, we expect to have a common understanding with a partner country outside of the European Union,” Danish Migrations Minister Morten Bodskov said.
The potential partner country or countries have not been identified publicly. Uganda and Rwanda are understood to be among the options under consideration.
Earlier today, Denmark said it was prepared to transfer rejected asylum seekers to such centres by the end of 2027, rather than at the beginning of that year.
“We do not accept that foreigners staying illegally in Denmark should be rewarded because of our difficulties in returning them,” Mr Bodskov said in the earlier statement.
In June, the European Parliament approved stricter migration rules that give authorities significantly wider powers to detain people and permit the establishment of “return hubs”.
Human rights organisations have strongly condemned the proposal.
Britain scrapped plans to deport undocumented migrants to Rwanda, while Italy’s facilities for processing migrants in Albania have encountered legal challenges and attracted fewer people than expected.
