Politico: France caught off guard as 19 countries back migrant “return hubs”

A growing political rift has emerged within the European Union over plans for migrant “return hubs” in third countries, after a letter signed by 19 member states backing the initiative caught France off guard and triggered a sharp response from President Emmanuel Macron.

The letter obtained by Politico was seen in Brussels as a significant escalation in support for the controversial proposal, which would allow rejected asylum seekers to be processed and deported from facilities outside EU territory.

Two EU diplomats said the scale of support surprised Paris.

“If it had just been from Meloni [Italian PM - ed.] and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, it wouldn’t have been a big deal,” one diplomat said. “But when 19 countries signed it, it became a huge deal.” Both diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of internal discussions at last week’s summit.

The proposal quickly became a focal point of debate at the summit’s closing press conference, where French President Emmanuel Macron pushed back strongly against the idea.

“I’m not sure this what our Europe is about,” he said. “I’m not sure that these are the fundamental principles on which our Europe was built.”

Macron also expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of such arrangements, adding: “I’ve never seen a return center in a third country that actually works.”

Despite France’s criticism, the country has previously supported the EU’s Return Regulation, which establishes the legal framework that could enable such offshore processing arrangements.

The letter from the 19 member states reportedly includes a call for EU funding to support the development of return hub initiatives—an element that could further deepen divisions within the bloc, as Macron now appears unlikely to endorse the financing proposal.

By Sabina Mammadli