Five EU countries reach agreement on return hub outside the EU
The Netherlands reached an agreement in Copenhagen on Friday with Denmark, Germany, Austria, and Greece on a model for so-called return hubs. These are reception centers outside the European Union for people whose asylum applications have been definitively rejected and who cannot return to their country of origin. The five countries call themselves frontrunners and are now looking for a country outside the EU willing to host such a center. Minister Bart van den Brink of Asylum and Migration called it a very important meeting and said that a legal basis is now in place. Danish Minister Morten Bødskov said that agreement has been reached on a return hub model.
It is explicitly not about everyone. The hubs are intended for rejected asylum seekers with a final negative decision who cannot or will not yet return. For those with an ongoing procedure, those who have filed an appeal, or those who hold a residence permit, nothing changes today. Bødskov emphasized that these will not be closed camps or prisons, but open facilities, and that cooperation is being sought with the IOM and the UNHCR. Aid organizations are critical and refer to them as detention centers. The Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe warned in July that the rights of migrants could disappear into a black hole. The coalition agreement states that the Netherlands guarantees that no one will be sent back to a country where they face persecution.
The legal basis is the European Return Regulation, which was adopted by the European Parliament this summer and will become final in October. Only after that can agreements be made with a country outside the EU. Rwanda is mentioned as a possible location, but Van den Brink would not confirm this. The five countries will meet again at the end of September in Munich. The first transfers are not expected before 2027.
Nothing is changing regarding ongoing procedures right now, and no one needs to take action today. Anyone who has received a rejection or expects one soon would be wise to check the deadlines in the decision and contact a lawyer or the Juridisch Loket (Legal Counter) in time. Funded legal aid is available in asylum cases. Keep all mail from the IND and always report a change of address immediately.