The European Commission is drafting a new European law on migrant repatriations, with many countries including Italy insisting on a hard line. The proposal, drafts of which were seen by Euronews, could be completed by the end of February. According to minutes of an informal meeting on home affairs held last week, which Euronews has seen, the European Commission is planning to include in a forthcoming legislative proposal so-called “return hubs”, located outside the borders of the EU, from which migrants can be repatriated to their countries of origin.
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Eleonora Vasques & Vincenzo Genovese
04/02/2025 – 18:42 CET
Source: Euronews
The European Commission is drafting a new European law on migrant repatriations, with many countries including Italy insisting on a hard line. The proposal, drafts of which were seen by Euronews, could arrive by the end of February.
According to minutes of an informal meeting on home affairs held last week, which Euronews has seen, the European Commission is planning to include in a forthcoming legislative proposal so-called “return hubs” , located outside the borders of the EU, from which migrants can be repatriated to their countries of origin.
The aim would be precisely to speed up the procedures for returning to their countries asylum seekers whose applications have been rejected.
A legislative proposal could arrive as early as the end of February
During the informal meeting held in Warsaw on Thursday, January 30, the Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, discussed some “innovative ideas” for managing flows with representatives of the Schengen Member States and the European institutions. And, according to the minutes, the rules on returns dominated the discussions.
Informal meetings are regular meetings between Member States and institutions of the European Union, organised by the rotating Presidency of the European Council (which is currently held by Poland).
A spokesperson for the Commission, contacted by Euronews, declined to comment. According to information received by our newspaper, a legislative proposal to speed up repatriations could be put forward by the end of February by the executive body in Brussels.
The proposal welcomed by nine European countries
In particular, according to the minutes, Brunner proposed “stricter rules on detention” and the “possibility of developing repatriation hubs.” The latter are proposed locations outside the EU where those whose asylum applications have been rejected could be sent while they await repatriation to their country of origin.
The proposal was welcomed and described “as a possible deterrent to irregular migration” by “Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia and Malta” .
Decisions on migration are taken by qualified majority , however , meaning that at least 15 of the 27 member states, representing at least 65 percent of the EU population, will have to support them for them to be approved.
Other Member States, such as Portugal and Spain, raised “doubts” from a legal and operational point of view, while others, such as Ireland and Belgium, “stressed the need for measures to be realistic and implementable and to respect fundamental rights”, the minutes further indicate.
The “no” of humanitarian organizations
During his confirmation hearing at the European Parliament last fall, Brunner said the EU should remain “open” to exploring “new ideas” to curb irregular immigration.
The establishment of such hubs could be done in a “humane and legally correct” way, he said at the time, adding that further reflection was needed to “define how this type of concept could be translated” in practice.
Humanitarian organizations have rejected the move , saying the hubs would lead to endless detention and enormous suffering. Current EU law prohibits authorities from sending migrants against their will to countries they have no connection to. But political pressure to increase returns has outweighed these concerns, with many member states calling for a tougher approach.
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also strongly supported the idea of creating “repatriation hubs” in a letter to European leaders ahead of a two-day summit in Brussels last October.
In the text, the German conservative exponent had stated that the migration protocol agreed between Italy and Albania – which has been the subject of numerous legal challenges – could represent an example of the direction to take.
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We would prefer a directive rather than a regulation
Brunner also proposed introducing an obligation for returnees to “cooperate and indicate clear consequences” for non-compliance, strengthening rules for “returnees who pose a threat to security” and facilitating mutual recognition of return decisions between member states. Ministers from “Denmark, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Malta, Norway, Romania, Slovenia and Sweden” welcomed the “clear obligations of returnees and sanctions” for those who refuse to cooperate.
Several governments then declared themselves in agreement with the idea of mutual recognition of repatriation decisions between member states, while France alone was firmly opposed, according to the minutes .
Spain, supported by Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Iceland, called for a strengthening of the role of Frontex, the European Union’s border agency, in returns. The agency “agreed with the proposal […] and stressed the need for adequate resources,” the minutes read.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced in her re-election speech last summer that she intended to triple the number of staff at Frontex. Finally, the document states that most member states believe it is better to write the rule as a directive rather than a regulation , in order to give member states more flexibility in its application.
Suspension of the right to asylum
The minutes show that migrant smuggling across the Russian and Belarusian borders was also discussed. Brunner reminded member states that they can take the “necessary actions to address hostile actors” sending migrants to the external borders. However, any action that could impact asylum seekers must be considered as an “exceptional measure” and must be in line with international law.
In this regard, Sweden has proposed suspending asylum systems “in exceptional circumstances” as a possible response to these “hostile actors”. The idea mirrors similar initiatives recently taken by Finland and Poland .
The legislative process that will have to be faced for extra-EU hubs
After the publication of the proposal on the return of asylum seekers, the European Commission will start the legislative process, which usually takes about two years.
Brunner will be in charge of implementing the new Pact on Migration and Asylum, the far-reaching reform that was approved in May after nearly four years of difficult negotiations. The Parliament considers the Pact a historic achievement and wants every member state to comply with the new rules.
Poland and Hungary, however, have openly said they do not want to do so, fueling fears that the complex reform could fall apart before it has a chance to deliver results. Brunner has pledged to take legal action against those who do not play by the rules . “If necessary and justified, an infringement procedure could be launched,” he said.
Martin Plaut 