As support for tough migration policy grows, a growing coalition of EU member states is advocating for the creation of migrant return sites outside the bloc.
Plans to establish offshore migrant facilities in third countries, where rejected asylum applicants might be relocated while awaiting deportation to their home countries, have been approved by 19 EU nations.
The Pact on Migration and Asylum, a new EU migration law that supporters claim offers a legal foundation for such arrangements, was adopted after the proposal, which has long been led by Denmark and Italy, was adopted.
Off-EU Return Hubs: The Secret Ingredient?
The leaders of the 19 member states contended in a joint letter released prior to the June European Council session that external processing and return facilities may aid in lowering irregular migration, undermining human smuggling networks, and raising deportation rates. The signatories urged “willing” member states to seek collaborations with non-EU nations and urged the European Commission to provide political and financial backing for the effort.
According to Italy’s Presidency of the Council of Ministers, the alliance consists of Austria, Belgium, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, and Sweden, among other countries.
Italy’s migrant deal with Albania has been cited by the coalition as a possible template for such agreements in the future.
Denmark: Migration Hardliner and Staunch Proponent
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, one of the supporters of the policy, has called on the EU to “take control” of its borders.
“Denmark has been at the forefront, and we have stood very much alone. But now there are many of us, and we finally have the opportunity to establish reception and departure centers outside Europe together with other EU countries. Now we must establish those centers,” Frederiksen said in a press release by the Danish government.
France and Spain In Dissent
French President Emmanuel Macron has questioned offshore centers’ efficacy as well as their consistency with European principles, saying he hasn’t yet seen a return center “that works.”
Macron stated last week that he would oppose funding such initiatives with EU funds. Macron continued, “I’m not sure that these are the fundamental principles on which our Europe was built,” Reuters reported.
Pedro Sanchez, the prime minister of Spain, has voiced scepticism, claiming that offshore facilities would not offer a significant remedy for the challenges of migration.
Speaking at a press conference on June 19 following the EU meeting in Brussels, Sanchez stated that although Spain was in the minority in Europe, it was likewise opposed to such hubs.
