Five European Union Nations Plan Deportation Hub in Africa for 2027
The initiative would create the bloc's first external centers to house rejected asylum seekers while awaiting final removal to their home countries.
Five European Union nations announced plans to open a joint deportation center in Africa in 2027 to receive rejected asylum seekers. The coalition includes Greece, Germany, Austria, Denmark and the Netherlands.
Greek Migration Minister Thanos Plevris disclosed the arrangement in a television interview, stating that an African partner country has already been chosen. He did not name the country. Plevris said the facility will be an open center where people stay while final travel arrangements to their origin countries are completed.
The five governments agreed to fully finance the facilities. They also stated that legal responsibility for the transferred migrants will remain with the participating European states rather than the host country. The plan calls for independent oversight involving the United Nations Refugee Agency and the International Organization for Migration.
The coalition formed the plan following a September ministerial meeting in Copenhagen. Danish Immigration Minister Morten Bødskov said the return hubs are intended to provide options for individuals who have no legal right to remain in Europe and cannot immediately be sent home. Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said the shared objective is pushing unauthorized migration toward zero.
Diplomats and media reports have previously named Uganda and Rwanda as potential hosts for the initiative, though neither country has confirmed any deal.
Human rights organizations have voiced strong objections to the project. Amnesty International said the facilities risk becoming locations where migrants face arbitrary detention, mistreatment and unlawful transfers without adequate legal recourse. The Council of Europe human rights commissioner has also called for binding legal safeguards.
The coalition is relying on updated EU return rules that permit member states to transfer rejected applicants to safe third countries under specific bilateral agreements. The five ministers are scheduled to hold their next round of planning talks in Munich.
