05 / 10
Five EU states target return centres by 2027
Five EU governments agreed a model for sending rejected asylum seekers to centres outside the bloc.
What happened
Denmark, Germany, Greece, Austria and the Netherlands agreed in Copenhagen on a shared model for centres in a non-EU country. The plan is to transfer people whose asylum claims were rejected and who have no legal right to remain, after the group reaches terms with a host government.
Numbers
- 5EU governments backing the plan
- 2027Target for centres to operate
- End of 2026Target for host-country agreement
Questions
- Are the centres already operating?
- No. The group has agreed a model but has not begun transfers; technical discussions with non-EU governments are under way.
- What changed in EU rules?
- European Parliament approved revised return rules in June, allowing member states to make agreements for centres outside the bloc.
- Why do rights groups object?
- They say moving people beyond EU jurisdiction could weaken asylum safeguards and prevent European states from guaranteeing rights protections.
- Who would monitor the facilities?
- Denmark's minister said the International Organization for Migration and the UN refugee agency would monitor the proposed centres.
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Support and opposition
Who supports this, and why
Participating governments — Centres would help enforce return decisions while offering an option for people who cannot go home.
Who opposes this, and why
Rights groups — Sending people outside the EU risks weakening asylum safeguards and leaves rights protections difficult to guarantee.
The catch
No host country has been named, and the final rules for how the centres would operate remain unclear.