The country where a centre for returning migrants from Europe will be established could be announced next week. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said this during the meeting of the European Political Community in Dublin.
“The negotiations are going very well, and we have moved significantly closer to creating a centre outside Europe, which some of us have been working hard on for years. We will be able to say more next week,” Frederiksen said, quoted by Danish public broadcaster DR via the Ritzau news agency.
The name of the host country has not yet been officially confirmed. Dutch media report that the most likely choice is Rwanda, and the expected announcement could be made at a migration meeting in Vienna on 16 November.
The plan of five European countries
Denmark, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and Greece are working on a joint model for centres outside the European Union. They would accommodate people whose asylum applications have been finally rejected or who have no legal right to remain in the EU, until their return is arranged or another solution is found.
In September, the ministers from the five countries agreed to speed up talks with potential partners outside the EU. Denmark’s Minister for Immigration and Integration, Morten Bødskov, said at the time that Denmark expected to be ready to send the first people to a partner country by the end of 2027.
In June, the European Parliament approved rules creating a legal possibility for EU countries to use such centres while respecting fundamental rights and the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning people to a country where they could be persecuted or exposed to serious danger.
Rwanda remains an unconfirmed option
Rwanda has already been discussed as a possible partner. According to reports citing diplomatic sources, the initial project could be a pilot scheme covering around 100 people, or approximately 20 people from each of the five countries. However, these details have not been confirmed by the Danish government or by Rwanda itself.
The plan is politically controversial. The Council of Europe has warned of significant human rights risks when transferring people to third countries, including the danger of ill-treatment and arbitrary detention.
The next key moment is the migration meeting in Vienna on 16 November. It is then expected to become clear whether the five countries have reached an agreement and which country will be named as the host of the first return centre outside the EU.
Sources: dailynorthern.com, presse-fotos.dk, apnews.com