EU lays groundwork for building deportation centres in distant countries

The European Commission has introduced a new regulation that, if approved, would allow member states to transfer rejected asylum seekers to distant countries where they have never been, signaling a significant shift in migration policy.

While the regulation stops short of creating a mandatory programme for deportation centres (or “return hubs,” as Brussels refers to them), it provides the legal framework for governments to negotiate agreements with non-EU countries willing to host migrants in exchange for financial incentives.

Transfers will only occur after applicants have exhausted all legal avenues for international protection and received a final return order.

This regulation represents the first tangible result of the outsourcing strategy EU leaders agreed on during a pivotal summit in October. At that summit, heads of state and government agreed to explore “new ways to prevent and counter irregular migration,” a broad mandate that has allowed Brussels to venture into uncharted territory.

via Euronews