Denmark expects to be ready by the end of 2027 to send migrants without legal residency to a return hub outside the European Union, as five EU countries move closer to establishing such facilities.
Immigration and Integration Minister Morten Bodskov will meet counterparts from Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and Greece in Copenhagen on Friday. The five countries, known as the “Group of Five,” are expected to agree on steps towards the EU’s first partnership with a non-EU country for a return-centre arrangement.
“We have come a long way in the work of establishing a return hub outside the EU, and we are now closer than ever before,” Bodskov said in a statement.
He said Denmark expects to be ready to send the first migrants to a partner country by the end of 2027, but did not identify potential host countries.
The plans follow an EU push to speed up the return of migrants who have no legal right to remain. The European Parliament approved migration reforms in June that would allow member states to establish detention and return centres in third countries.
Supporters say the facilities could make deportations more efficient, while critics warn they could weaken safeguards for asylum seekers.
The Council of Europe warned in July that transferring foreign nationals to third countries could pose significant human rights risks, including ill-treatment and arbitrary detention.
The five countries are expected to continue discussions on potential partner countries and the legal and practical arrangements needed to establish the hubs.
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