Five European Union countries are moving ahead with plans to establish centres outside the bloc for migrants whose asylum applications have been rejected, with the first facility expected to begin operations in Africa in 2027.

German broadcaster DW reports on Thursday that the five countries are working on what they describe as “return hubs” for people who have been ordered to leave the EU.

Rwanda and Uganda have repeatedly been mentioned by diplomatic sources and European media as possible locations, but neither country has been confirmed as the host.

The five countries involved:

1. Greece

Greece is leading the initiative and has indicated that the first return hub could become operational in the second half of 2027.

Its Migration Minister, Thanos Plevris, said an African country had already been selected, although its identity had not been disclosed.

Greece is also expected to assume the rotating presidency of the EU Council in the second half of 2027.

2. Germany

Germany is part of the five-country group pushing for agreements with countries outside the EU to establish return hubs.

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt previously said the group wanted to reach an agreement with third countries that would enable the establishment of the facilities.

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Germany has also participated in discussions on the legal framework governing transfers of migrants who have no legal right to remain in the EU.

3. Austria

Austria is the third member of the group pursuing the return-hub arrangement.

Its Interior Minister, Gerhard Karner, has argued that the project could help reduce irregular migration and dangerous journeys to Europe.

Austria has separately reached a migration and readmission agreement with Uzbekistan, although that agreement does not itself establish a return hub.

4. Denmark

Denmark has previously explored the possibility of transferring asylum seekers to a third country.

In 2021, Copenhagen passed legislation allowing such arrangements and held negotiations with Rwanda over a reception centre. The talks were suspended in 2023 after legal and logistical difficulties emerged.

Denmark has since shifted towards pursuing third-country arrangements together with other European countries.

5. Netherlands

The Netherlands is the fifth member of the group.

Dutch Migration Minister Bart van den Brink has said the proposed facilities should not be viewed as detention camps, but as places offering migrants who cannot remain in Europe another option while return arrangements are made.

The five countries agreed in September to step up discussions with potential partner countries and work towards establishing the hubs.

Plevris said Greece had selected an African country to host the facility but did not name it publicly.

The five countries, known as the “Group of Five”, have been working on a model under which migrants whose asylum applications have been finally rejected would be transferred to facilities outside the EU while arrangements for their return to their countries of origin are made.

The countries have stressed that the facilities would be open centres rather than detention camps.

Responsibility for people transferred to the hubs would remain with the participating European countries, rather than being handed over to the African host country.

The project is also expected to be financed by the five European countries, while organisations including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organisation for Migration could monitor operations.

The plan follows several unsuccessful efforts by European countries to outsource asylum processing or deportation arrangements.

The most prominent was Britain’s Rwanda scheme, under which the Conservative government sought to send asylum seekers arriving irregularly in the UK to Rwanda.

The British Supreme Court ultimately ruled the policy unlawful, citing concerns that people sent to Rwanda faced a real risk of being returned to countries where they could face persecution or inhumane treatment.

Italy has also operated migrant centres in Albania since 2024. Italian courts initially blocked transfers to the centres, while one facility has subsequently been used as a deportation centre for men whose asylum applications were definitively rejected.

The Italian scheme has involved significant costs, with DW reporting that the expenditure is expected to exceed €670m by 2028.

A Reuters report published on September 30 said Rwanda had held preliminary discussions with some EU member states about potentially hosting transferred migrants, but that no agreement had been reached. (PUNCH)