Five European Union countries are seeking a deal with an unnamed non-EU country to establish a migrant “return hub” for individuals whose asylum applications have been rejected, with a targeted start date of January 1, according to Danish officials.
The coalition, known as the Group of Five, includes Germany, Austria, Greece, Denmark, and the Netherlands. The nations agreed to the initiative during meetings hosted in Copenhagen to discuss the creation of migrant detention and processing centers outside of European borders. While the specific host country has not been publicly disclosed, nations such as Uganda and Rwanda have been seen as possibilities.
Speaking at a news conference in Copenhagen on Friday, Danish Immigration and Integration Minister Morten Bodskov outlined the timeline for the diplomatic push. “Around New Year, we expect to have a common understanding with a partner country outside of the European Union,” Bodskov told reporters, adding that the facilities would offer “a new chance to have a life in a partner country.”
Greek Migration and Asylum Minister Thanos Plevris reinforced that objective upon arriving at the talks, stating that the shared goal is to have the return hub operational outside the EU by 2027. Earlier statements from Danish officials indicated that the government is eager to execute the policy due to ongoing enforcement hurdles, with Bodskov asserting that “we do not accept that foreigners staying illegally in Denmark should be rewarded because of our difficulties in returning them.”
Diplomatic Next Steps and International Scrutiny
The Group of Five is scheduled to reconvene in Munich, Germany, at the end of September to advance the plan. German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt confirmed the coalition’s intent, stating that the group wants to reach formal agreements with third countries within the year to enable the establishment of the hubs.
According to Danish officials, the participating governments intend to engage in direct dialogue with the International Organization for Migration and the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) regarding the next steps of the proposal. However, a spokesperson for the UNHCR stated that the agency has not been approached with specific details of the plan and could therefore not offer a formal comment.
The push for external processing centers follows broader legislative shifts within the bloc. In June, the European Parliament approved a comprehensive overhaul of EU migration policy designed to speed up deportations and allowing member states to set up centres abroad. Critics of the broader framework argue that such measures risk weakening legal safeguards for asylum seekers.
Human rights organizations have raised continuous objections to the concept. The Council of Europe, a non-EU institution focused on human rights and the rule of law, warned in July that proposed return hubs pose considerable human rights risks. Meanwhile, Charlotte Slente, Secretary-General of the Danish Refugee Council, argued that member states should instead prioritize full implementation of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum.
“Return hubs focus on a small number of returns; they will not stop people from taking even more dangerous routes, and they could violate basic human rights,” Slente said.
External offshore processing models have encountered significant hurdles elsewhere in Europe. The British government ultimately abandoned a high-profile scheme to deport undocumented migrants to Rwanda, while Italian-run facilities established to process migrants in Albania have faced ongoing legal challenges and a slow operational uptake.
