Five European Union countries are seeking a deal with an unnamed non-EU country to host a \u201creturn hub\u201d for migrants whose asylum applications have been rejected, with a targeted start date of Jan. 1, a Danish minister said Friday.<\/p>\n
Denmark, Greece, Austria, Germany, and the Netherlands agreed to the initiative as Copenhagen hosted talks on the creation of migrant detention centres outside Europe.<\/p>\n
\u201cAround New Year, we expect to have a common understanding with a partner country outside of the European Union,\u201d said Danish Migrations Minister Morten Bodskov.<\/p>\n
The partner country or countries have not been disclosed, but Uganda and Rwanda in particular are seen as possibilities.<\/p>\n
Upon arriving at the meeting, Greek Migration and Asylum Minister Thanos Plevris said the goal was to have \u201cthe return hub operational in a country outside the European Union by 2027.\u201d<\/p>\n
Earlier Friday, Denmark said it was ready to send rejected asylum seekers to such hubs by the end of 2027, not the start.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do not accept that foreigners staying illegally in Denmark should be rewarded because of our difficulties in returning them,\u201d Bodskov said in the earlier statement.<\/p>\n
In June, the European Parliament approved tougher migration rules granting authorities much broader detention powers, and allowing for the creation of \u201creturn hubs\u201d.<\/p>\n
The idea has been severely criticized by human rights groups.<\/p>\n
Britain abandoned a scheme to deport undocumented migrants to Rwanda, while Italian-run facilities to process migrants in Albania have faced legal challenges and a slow uptake.<\/p>\n
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