FIVE EU STATES ADVANCE PLANS FOR OVERSEAS MIGRANT RETURN CENTRES

Five European Union countries are moving closer to establishing migrant return centres outside the bloc as governments seek new ways to deal with people who have been ordered to leave EU territory. Austria, Denmark, Germany, Greece and the Netherlands are coordinating efforts to reach an agreement with a non-EU country that could host such a facility.

The initiative was discussed by the five countries, known as the “Group of Five,” as they work towards the EU’s first partnership arrangement with a third country for a return hub. Denmark has said it expects to be in a position to transfer the first people without legal residency to a partner country by the end of 2027, although the country that would host the facility has not yet been officially announced.

Under the proposed system, migrants who no longer have a legal right to remain in the EU could be transferred to facilities outside the bloc while arrangements for their return are pursued. The move follows the EU’s broader push to increase the number of people who are successfully returned after receiving deportation orders, with governments arguing that the current system has struggled to enforce many removal decisions.

The countries involved have been exploring potential partnerships with nations including Rwanda and Uganda, although neither has been formally confirmed as the location of the first return hub. Previous discussions have also highlighted the possibility of facilities being established through bilateral arrangements rather than directly under the management of the European Commission.

Danish Immigration and Integration Minister Morten Bodskov said negotiations had made significant progress and that Copenhagen expected to be ready to send the first migrants to a partner country by the end of next year. However, the five governments have yet to disclose the prospective host country or provide final details on how the centres would operate.

The proposal has attracted strong criticism from human-rights organisations, which have raised concerns about the treatment of migrants once they are transferred outside European territory. Amnesty International warned that such facilities could become places where people face arbitrary detention, inadequate access to legal assistance, ill-treatment or further removal to countries where they could be at risk.

The organisation has specifically called on Austria, Denmark, Germany, Greece and the Netherlands to abandon the plans unless strong safeguards are guaranteed. Amnesty said any arrangement must ensure that migrants continue to have access to their rights and effective legal remedies after being transferred outside the EU.

The Council of Europe has also urged the five countries to ensure that any return-hub arrangement complies with international human-rights obligations. Its Commissioner for Human Rights previously called for safeguards against arbitrary detention, mistreatment and unlawful deportation to countries where migrants could face persecution or other serious harm.

The debate comes as EU institutions pursue tougher migration policies. The European Parliament has backed reforms intended to make deportation procedures more effective and provide a legal framework for member states to establish return facilities in third countries. Critics, however, argue that transferring migrants outside the EU could make it more difficult to monitor their treatment and enforce European legal protections.

For the five governments, the proposed centres are intended to strengthen the EU's ability to carry out return decisions and discourage irregular migration. But significant questions remain over the identity of the host country, the financing of the facilities, their capacity and the legal responsibilities of both European governments and the receiving state.

Denmark's expected 2027 target therefore remains dependent on further negotiations and the completion of the necessary agreements. Until a host country and operating framework are formally agreed, the proposed return hubs remain a work in progress rather than an operational EU-wide system.