EU countries say yes to departure centers outside the EU for rejected asylum seekers
A majority of EU countries agreed at a ministerial meeting on Monday to introduce an option to establish departure centers for rejected asylum seekers in countries outside the EU.
This is happening through a major amendment of the EU’s return regulation. It is intended to allow more rejected asylum seekers to be sent home, says Minister for Immigration and Integration Rasmus Stoklund (S).
“Three out of four irregular migrants who have received a return decision in the EU stay here instead of going home.
That is why I am very pleased that we have agreed on a new EU regulation on returns. I believe that the new set of rules can to a significant extent help improve the numbers,” says Rasmus Stoklund.
In the agreement, the EU countries state that human rights must be respected in the departure centers outside the EU, and that people must not be sent back to countries where they risk persecution.
The question then is whether it is possible to find countries outside the EU that are willing to host the departure centers and that can meet the requirements. But if it succeeds, the centers may have far-reaching significance.
The agreement indeed proposes that the departure centers outside the EU should not only function as centers for further return primarily to the country of origin.
The centers can also be the “final destination” for people who have been refused asylum in Europe, according to the agreement.
In other words, in principle all rejected asylum seekers could be sent out of Europe if the centers are successfully established.
The agreement comes after a majority of EU countries on Monday also said yes to reception centers in third countries.
In theory, they are to receive people who wish to apply for asylum in Europe.
Even people who come to Europe to seek asylum must, according to the agreement, be able to be transferred to the reception centers outside the EU. The processing of the asylum application would thus take place outside Europe.
And if it ends in a rejection, the person could in theory be transferred to a departure center outside the EU.
At the same time, the EU countries have agreed to introduce a common EU list of safe countries of origin that as a rule do not give access to asylum in the EU.
All this is in an attempt to limit the inflow to Europe and ensure faster returns of people who are not entitled to protection.
The agreement must now be negotiated with the European Parliament before it can enter into force. The expectation, however, is that this will succeed.
The Danish EU Presidency expects negotiations before Christmas.
Rasmus Stoklund believes that Europe is thus on its way to taking a very important step towards regaining control over migration.
However, he cautions that it will take time to find willing countries and establish reception and departure centers that meet the requirements.
“In a few years it will be clear that today is a historic day. We will not be able to feel it tomorrow. But in a few years it will be obvious,” says Rasmus Stoklund.
