A group of EU countries, including Greece, Germany, Denmark, Austria and the Netherlands, is considering Rwanda and Uzbekistan as possible first host countries for the creation of “return hubs”, according to Politico. These would be centers outside the EU where rejected asylum seekers could be transferred after exhausting all legal avenues to remain in Europe and until their final deportation.
The initiative is based on the EU’s new Return Regulation, which allows member states to conclude agreements with third countries, provided that human rights and international law are respected. The potential host countries are being assessed, while the agreements would have to be concluded by individual governments and notified to the European Commission and the other member states. According to Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the aim is for the first agreements to be finalized in 2026 and for the centers to become operational in 2027.
Similar attempts, such as Italy’s detention centers for asylum seekers in Albania, were blocked due to legal challenges.
Rwanda and Uzbekistan are being considered specifically because they are far from the EU’s borders — unlike countries such as Egypt and Libya — which is seen as reducing the risk of human trafficking toward Europe, and because they already have economic and diplomatic ties with the EU through significant funding. The EU channeled €900 million to Rwanda in 2023 through the Global Gateway program, while it has allocated €119 million in grants to Uzbekistan.
Supporters believe the new framework provides a clearer legal basis than previous attempts to “externalize” migration policy, such as Italy’s detention centers for asylum seekers in Albania, which were blocked by legal and political challenges. Critics, including France, Spain, the Greens and UNHCR, warn of the risk of rights violations and of transferring people to unsafe conditions.
Source: Politico
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