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Five EU Nations Advance Plan for Migrant Return Hubs Outside Bloc
(MENAFN) Denmark, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and Greece agreed Friday on concrete next steps toward building migrant return hubs outside the EU, clearing the way for active negotiations with prospective partner countries, Denmark's Ministry of Immigration and Integration said.
Meeting in Copenhagen, the so-called Five-Country Group settled on three guiding principles for the return-hub system, according to a ministry statement. The model must produce a measurable drop in irregular migration to the EU and undercut migrant smugglers' business model; it must be built as a joint European project fully consistent with EU law and international obligations, particularly human rights; and any hubs must rest on equal, mutually beneficial partnerships with non-EU countries.
The five nations agreed to launch active dialogue and negotiations with potential partners based on those principles, including sending assessment missions to gauge whether candidate countries meet the standards required for a sustainable partnership. They also set a common timeline for the domestic legal processes needed before the system can launch.
Ahead of the meeting, Danish Immigration and Integration Minister Morten Bodskov said Denmark expects to be ready to send its first migrants lacking legal residence to a non-EU partner country before the end of 2027.
"We have come a long way in the work of establishing a return hub outside the EU, and we are now closer than ever before," Bodskov said, arguing the hubs would deter dangerous journeys to Europe while weakening smugglers' business model.
"It is unsustainable that migrants with no prospect of legal residence pay large sums to people smugglers to come to Europe," he said. The Danish ministry did not name any candidate partner country.
The push follows a June vote in the European Parliament on new rules enabling EU member states to establish return hubs beyond the bloc's borders.
Meeting in Copenhagen, the so-called Five-Country Group settled on three guiding principles for the return-hub system, according to a ministry statement. The model must produce a measurable drop in irregular migration to the EU and undercut migrant smugglers' business model; it must be built as a joint European project fully consistent with EU law and international obligations, particularly human rights; and any hubs must rest on equal, mutually beneficial partnerships with non-EU countries.
The five nations agreed to launch active dialogue and negotiations with potential partners based on those principles, including sending assessment missions to gauge whether candidate countries meet the standards required for a sustainable partnership. They also set a common timeline for the domestic legal processes needed before the system can launch.
Ahead of the meeting, Danish Immigration and Integration Minister Morten Bodskov said Denmark expects to be ready to send its first migrants lacking legal residence to a non-EU partner country before the end of 2027.
"We have come a long way in the work of establishing a return hub outside the EU, and we are now closer than ever before," Bodskov said, arguing the hubs would deter dangerous journeys to Europe while weakening smugglers' business model.
"It is unsustainable that migrants with no prospect of legal residence pay large sums to people smugglers to come to Europe," he said. The Danish ministry did not name any candidate partner country.
The push follows a June vote in the European Parliament on new rules enabling EU member states to establish return hubs beyond the bloc's borders.
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