The European Union has cleared a path to establish return centers in non-EU third countries to facilitate deportations. The Cypriot EU Presidency announced this agreement on Monday, noting that representatives from the European Parliament and member states successfully reached a consensus. However, this agreement still requires final approval from both the Parliament and the EU member countries before it can be implemented.
These planned return centers, located outside the EU, are intended to house rejected asylum seekers who cannot be returned to their countries of origin, either because the home country refuses to take them back or due to a lack of diplomatic relations. Currently, the locations for these centers remain unclear. The overall objective is to decrease the proportion of migrants in the EU who are subject to mandatory departure.
The new regulations stipulate that unaccompanied minors will be exempt from this process, while deportation remains possible for families with children. A crucial prerequisite for these deportations is securing an agreement with a third-party country that agrees to host the refugees, potentially in exchange for financial aid or visa preferences.
France and other EU states are currently working to establish such agreements. Alexander Dobrindt of the German Interior Ministry (CSU) has voiced support for the proposal. Previously, there had no formal EU framework for this type of procedure. Past attempts include Italy’s agreement with Albania, designed to outsource detention and asylum procedures, which was later challenged by the European Court of Justice, and the UK’s similar model with Rwanda, which ultimately failed.
