Five EU countries working on return centres outside Europe
The Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Denmark and Greece are targeting operational centres from 2027.
There is news on this story (Thursday, 1 October 2026, 16:01): EU lays legal basis for return centres outside Europe
Five EU countries have developed a joint model for so-called return centres outside the European Union. The plan is intended to accommodate people without the right to stay in third countries, but the locations, legal arrangements and human-rights safeguards have not yet been finalised.
Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria and Greece discussed the matter in Copenhagen in early September. According to Associated Press, the countries want to start operating the centres as early as 2027. They are negotiating with countries outside the EU, particularly in Africa, but have not announced any definitive host countries.
The centres are intended for people whose asylum applications have been rejected and who cannot be returned directly to their countries of origin. The governments involved present the plan as a way of making returns more practicable and combating people smuggling.
The Dutch government has been examining the use of return centres for some time. The coalition agreement states that the Netherlands must not return people to a country where they face a risk of persecution. It also says that agreements with third countries should, where possible, be made jointly with the EU or like-minded countries.
The step from political support to implementation is a major one. Arrangements must be made concerning access, detention, oversight, legal aid, medical care and the question of who bears legal responsibility. In a research briefing, the European Parliament stressed that return centres can function within European and international law only if individual decisions and independent oversight are guaranteed.
Supporters primarily see a practical problem: countries cannot always return rejected asylum seekers when countries of origin do not cooperate or when identity and travel documents are missing. In their view, a centre outside the EU could exert pressure on return negotiations and ease the burden on reception facilities in Europe.
Critics fear, by contrast, that responsibility will be outsourced to countries over which European states have less control. According to AP, the UN refugee agency said it had not been asked for details of the plan and therefore could not give an opinion on the specific arrangements. It is therefore also still unclear what role international organisations will be given.
EU ministers are discussing the implementation of the migration pact and cooperation on returns today. The new initiative is therefore not a completed European decision, but cooperation between five countries within a broader debate about the limits of European asylum policy.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- Five EU countries are working on a model for return centres outside the EU.
- The Netherlands is examining such centres subject to conditions.
- There are no definitive locations or operational centres yet.
- Oversight, legal aid and responsibility are still being worked out.
Left
Arguments Asylum seekers must not be transferred to systems in which their rights are less well protected. Returns must remain individual, reviewable and humane.
Values Human rights, non-refoulement and equal access to legal protection.
Consequences The plan could be rejected or severely restricted if the EU cannot guarantee effective control outside its territory.
Centre
Arguments A centre can function only if it forms part of a clear European framework with independent monitoring, judicial review and binding agreements with host countries.
Values The rule of law, practicability and shared European responsibility.
Consequences This will probably lead to slow negotiations, but will make the policy easier to scrutinise and less dependent on separate national deals.
Right
Arguments Those without the right to stay must actually be able to return. Centres outside the EU could prevent rejected applications from remaining without consequences for years.
Values Border control, compliance with decisions and deterring irregular migration.
Consequences A functioning system could reduce pressure on reception facilities and procedures, but tough implementation could trigger diplomatic conflicts and legal proceedings.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
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This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The text is based on AP, Dutch government information, a European research document and the Council's agenda. Unknown locations and arrangements that have not yet been finalised are explicitly marked as uncertain.
- confirmed Five EU countries are working on return centres outside the EU and are targeting implementation from 2027. — AP describes the agreement between Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria and Greece. source
- confirmed The Netherlands is examining return centres and cites protection against persecution as a condition. — The Dutch government website and the coalition agreement describe this policy line. source
- confirmed Locations and host countries have not yet been definitively announced. — AP reports that the countries are negotiating but have not announced specific locations. source
- confirmed Individual decisions, legal protection and independent monitoring are legal conditions. — The European Parliament briefing cites these conditions for compatibility with EU law. source
- confirmed The Council is discussing cooperation on returns and the implementation of the migration pact on 1 October. — This is on the agenda of the Justice and Home Affairs Council. source
Editor's note
The cooperation between the five countries and the Dutch policy line have been confirmed. Specific locations, the legal form and human-rights safeguards have not yet been established.Sources
- 5 EU nations agree on model to send rejected migrants to ‘return hubs’ as early as 2027 — Associated Press
- The Netherlands in the world — Government of the Netherlands
- Return hubs — European Parliamentary Research Service
- Justice and Home Affairs Council, 1 October 2026 — Council of the European Union
The story so far
- Thursday, 1 October 2026, 15:05 Five EU countries working on return centres outside Europe (this article)
- Thursday, 1 October 2026, 16:01 EU lays legal basis for return centres outside Europe
More on this in Dutch media
- NU.nl — „migratie asiel”
- De Telegraaf — „migratie asiel”
- AD — „migratie asiel”