Five EU nations plan 2027 migrant return hubs, host country undecided

Denmark, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and Greece are pursuing an agreement with a non-EU country to establish “return hubs” for migrants whose asylum claims have been rejected or who lack legal residency. Denmark says it hopes to send the first people to such a facility by the end of 2027, while Greece has described the broader goal as making a hub operational that year. The countries have not identified a partner, though Rwanda and Uganda are among the possibilities, and officials say negotiations have entered a critical phase. The initiative follows European Parliament approval of rules allowing member states to establish detention and deportation facilities outside the EU. Human rights groups have criticized the plan, while previous efforts involving Rwanda and Italian-run facilities in Albania have faced legal, political or practical obstacles.