Migration: Dobrindt wants to advance the establishment of deportation centers in third countries

Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt is advocating for the establishment of deportation centers in third countries together with other EU member states. If some EU countries team up to organize return centers, he “would not rule out participation for Germany,” Dobrindt said on Tuesday ahead of a meeting with his EU counterparts in Copenhagen. It is possible, he said, that some member states may “form alliances below the European level to try this out accordingly”.

Some countries already have advanced plans, he noted. According to Danish Minister for Migration Kaare Dybvad Bek, “a fairly large majority of the member states support these innovative solutions.”

These so-called “Return Hubs” were proposed by the European Commission in March. They are intended to allow for the deportation of refugees whose asylum applications have been rejected. The proposal is part of the reform of the 2008 Return Directive. In the future, member states would be legally allowed to deport people to a third country, based on bilateral or EU-level agreements. The stricter return rules, along with the Commission’s proposals on safe third countries and safe countries of origin, are intended to complement the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, which comes into effect in June 2026.

Where these return centers might be located remains unclear. According to Dobrindt, the partner countries should be “as close as possible to the countries of origin”. Last Friday, Germany and several other European interior ministers voiced their support for such centers during a meeting at the Zugspitze. France, Poland, Austria, Denmark and the Czech Republic also endorsed the idea.

Green Party MEP Erik Marquardt criticized the initiative. He argued that the EU interior ministers’ meeting in Copenhagen focused on tougher migration policies rather than on “human rights or integration efforts”. Marion Bergermann