Greece plans EU deportation centre in Africa in 2027
Greece wants to open a centre in Africa for rejected asylum seekers once it takes over the rotating EU Council presidency in the second half of 2027. Greek Migration Minister Thanos Plevris told the Greek broadcaster ANT1 on Monday that the centre would be set up in an African country "that we have already agreed on", but that he could not name it yet.
Austria is one of five countries working on the plan, together with Greece, Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands. Uganda and Rwanda have been mentioned as possible locations. Plevris said a meeting with the other four countries and the head of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) will be held soon. The group met most recently at a migration meeting in Munich last weekend.
These so-called return hubs are meant for people whose asylum applications have been rejected, who have a final return decision and who cannot be sent back to their own country. EU negotiators agreed in June on a new return regulation that allows member states to make such agreements with countries outside the EU. Under the agreed rules, partner countries must respect human rights, and unaccompanied minors are excluded. Human rights organisations have raised concerns.
Greece also plans to propose an emergency mechanism at the meeting of EU interior ministers on 1 October, for situations with mass arrivals like the one in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta this summer. Plevris said that in such cases, asylum should not be considered at all and people should be returned immediately. This proposal would need the agreement of other EU countries.
What it means for you: nothing changes yet. No centre exists, no host country has been announced, and the plans still need legal agreements. If your asylum application in Austria is still open, it will be decided under the current rules. If you received a negative decision, check the appeal deadline in your letter and get legal advice straight away, for example from a refugee counselling service.