Migrants could soon be deported quickly from EU countries as the Netherlands moves ahead with plans to establish “return hubs”, marking a significant development in the bloc’s increasingly hardline migration policy.
The proposal would allow failed asylum seekers to be sent to processing centres in non-EU countries – in the Balkans or North Africa, such as Egypt or Tunisia – while the authorities determine their next steps.
According to a letter sent by the Dutch government to its parliament, Migration Minister Bart van den Brink argued authorities were under mounting public pressure to address mass migration.
“Across Europe, people are asking for credible and workable solutions to regain control over migration,” Mr van den Brink said in the letter, seen by Politico. “Those solutions are increasingly taking shape and have been shown to be legally viable.”
Return centres form part of a wider EU migration overhaul backed by right-leaning governments that believe the measures would prevent rejected asylum seekers from remaining in Europe indefinitely when deportations cannot be carried out quickly.
Under the plans, asylum seekers denied protection could be transferred outside the EU while arrangements are made for their repatriation or resettlement elsewhere. The initiative is not being pursued only by the Dutch, with Greece, Germany, Austria and Denmark also interested in joining in.
But the Netherlands is also looking at whether asylum applications could be processed outside the EU before migrants are even allowed to enter Europe. Denmark, Malta and Sweden are also examining that proposal.
Attention is turning to which countries might be willing to host the return centres. Western Balkan states are one possibility, given their proximity to Europe and existing co-operation with Brussels on migration. Albania is a leading candidate given its existing agreement with Italy. Other options could include Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and North Macedonia, all of which have sought closer ties with the EU and already host migrant transit routes.
But it is understood that Tunisia or Egypt could also be approached because of existing migration co-operation agreements with the EU. Some observers have also suggested forging partnerships with countries in sub-Saharan Africa, although such arrangements are likely to face strong legal challenges.
The European Convention on Human Rights, which allows refugees a right to remain, is something the UK's former Conservative government failed to overcome in its controversial policy to deport illegal immigrants to Rwanda.
EU governments have struggled to overhaul migration rules, but this month the 46 member states of the Council of Europe called for new rules for an effective migration policy. The Dutch government says a review by the Clingendael Institute think tank found no immediate legal barriers to the proposal. Diplomats involved in the discussions believe a location for the first centre could be announced by the end of the year.
EU institutions are in negotiations over a sweeping pact that would formally permit the creation of return centres to deter illegal migration.
