The leaders of 19 European Union member states have urged the European Commission to help finance so-called return hubs outside the bloc, part of a drive to accelerate the deportation of rejected asylum seekers.
The leaders set out their demand in an open letter published on June 19, timed to coincide with a summit of EU leaders in Brussels. According to El País, the Commission has been studying whether common EU money could be used to bankroll the centres.
Signatories included Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden, among others. They said they wanted such hubs operating before the end of the year.
“We will personally lead the way to make sure our visions are brought to life,” the leaders said.
Denmark and Italy have taken much of the credit for driving the initiative. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said her country had long stood alone on the issue.
“We have stood very much alone. But now there are many of us,” she said.
The letter followed the European Parliament’s approval on June 17 of a new Return Regulation, passed by 418 votes to 218. The law allows member states to set up deportation centres in third countries, provided bilateral agreements are in place.
Under the regulation, governments would be expected to pay for the hubs themselves. Several diplomats have said member states were pushing to expand the migration budget in the next seven-year EU framework to cover the costs.
Not every capital is convinced. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz did not sign the letter, despite his government pressing for faster Syrian returns.
Spain and France openly opposed the plan. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the centres would not solve anything, while French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters: “These centres do not work.”
The model echoes Italy’s arrangement with Albania, whose five-year budget is worth €670 million. Critics, including a coalition of rights groups, have warned the hubs could leave migrants in indefinite detention with weak legal oversight.
The Italian Government has cast the scheme as proof that its tougher line on immigration has become the European mainstream.
