Five EU countries aim to send migrants to return hubs by 2027

Five EU countries say they expect to be ready to send irregular migrants to deportation centres built outside the European Union by 2027. The announcement came after a meeting in Copenhagen on Friday attended by the interior ministers of Denmark, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands and Greece.

The ministers agreed on a common model for "return hubs" — facilities set to host asylum seekers whose applications have been rejected by the five countries and who cannot be returned to their countries of origin.

The five-state group is currently negotiating the creation of the hubs on the territory of one or more partner countries, which have not yet been disclosed. Uganda and Rwanda are seen as the most likely possibilities, according to several press reports.

"Today's guiding principle forms the basis for the way forward [...] to be ready to transfer the first irregular migrants to a partner country outside of the EU in 2027," said Danish Migration Minister Morten Bødskov.

He claimed that the hubs are not "a prison" or "a detention camp", but facilities where "partner countries give irregular migrants a new chance".

The five countries are expected to fully finance the hubs and may also provide additional funding, commercial partnerships or other incentives to partner countries. "A return centre scheme will be established through equal and mutually beneficial partnerships with countries outside the EU," reads the guiding principles document.

The new model should also lead to a noticeable reduction in the number of people migrating illegally to the EU. "Our common goal is pushing illegal migration towards zero," said Austrian Minister Gerhard Karner.

In the meantime, meetings with potential partners are continuing and the discussions are "becoming deeper and more fruitful," said Greek Minister Thanos Plevris, who hopes to announce an agreement in the near future.

The five ministers are set to meet again in Munich at the end of September.

The agreements with the non-EU countries will define the procedures applicable to migrants in the return hubs, the conditions of their stay and the responsibilities of the EU states involved.

The ministers said the project will be carried out in partnership with international organisations, such as the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organization for Migration, and in full accordance with EU law and international obligations.

In June, the European Parliament approved the 'strictest-ever' migration law, granting member states the right to set up return hubs by reaching agreements with non-EU countries. The adoption of the "return regulation" is likely to take place in the autumn, with final approval by EU countries, an EU official told Euronews.

The majority of EU countries seem interested in setting up return hubs, while Italy already has a similar project in place with Albania.