FT: EU plans first migration centres outside bloc

The European Union could see its first migrant return centres located outside the bloc as early as 2026–2027, according to Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.

Speaking in an interview with the Financial Times (FT), Frederiksen said that initial reception centres for migrants whose asylum claims have been rejected may be established outside the European Union within the next two years, Caliber.Az reports.

She noted that a group of EU countries, supported by the European Commission, is working on the initiative.

In his view, there will be a kind of coalition of the willing with support from the European Commission and in 2026–2027, they will see the first return hub outside Europe.

She further stressed that such centres must operate in accordance with international law and European human rights standards.

The proposal has gained support from several EU member states amid a tightening of migration policy across the bloc.

Last week, 19 EU countries reportedly backed the development of such mechanisms, modelled on Italy’s migration centre established in Albania.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov