Germany has joined Greece and another three European Union member states seeking to establish return hubs for migrants and expand deportations to non-EU countries, the country’s Interior Minister indicated on Thursday.
Speaking during an informal meeting of EU interior and migration ministers in Cyprus, Alexander Dobrindt said the countries in the group issuing the call aim to draw up a roadmap and agree on concrete next steps in the coming weeks. The group hopes to reach potential agreements with third countries later this year.
According to Dobrindt, apart from Germany and Greece, the working group also includes Austria, Denmark and the Netherlands, with the European Commission closely involved. Political responsibility, however, remains with the participating governments. Other countries may join at a later stage.
The talks build on new EU legislation proposed last year that allows for the creation of return hubs in non-EU states for migrants whose asylum claims have been rejected or who lack legal grounds to remain in the bloc.
The initiative also complements a broader group of more than 16 EU countries advocating tougher migration measures, which Germany joined for the first time last year.
“With the decisions taken last year … we created the basis for bringing more order to the migration system,” Dobrindt said, according to Euractiv. “This also includes innovative models.”
At the meeting, Greek Migration and Asylum Minister Thanos Plevris highlighted the importance of an effective European returns policy.
“The creation of centers for the return of irregular migrants in countries outside Europe is an important solution against illegal migration, as someone who enters the EU illegally will know that they will return to their country of origin or to a return hub outside Europe,” he said, according to the state-run AMNA news agency.