Five EU interior ministers met on Thursday at the EU Interior Ministers’ Council in Brussels and reached a consensus to build “Return Hubs” – asylum centres located outside Europe that would function as new points for sending rejected asylum seekers back to their countries of origin or other designated third countries.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt explained that returns must be enforced “out of Europe” and that the hubs would create fresh options while sending a clear signal for increased repatriations.
The working group on “innovative third‑country solutions” drafted a roadmap for the hubs, aiming to give European returns a new structure. Rejected applicants who cannot be sent back to their home countries would instead be transferred to these hubs in nearby non‑European states. From there, the final departure would be organised, either to the original country of origin or to another country that is ready to accept the individual.
The German Interior Ministry stated that once a final decision has been rendered, the migrants could be moved to the Return Hubs and subsequently dispatched to their destination.
According to the “Bild”, discussions will now begin with potential partner states, though the specific partners have not yet been identified.