Five EU countries plan African return hub for rejected asylum seekers by 2027

Five European Union countries are planning a return hub in Africa for people whose asylum applications have been legally rejected, according to Greece’s Migration Minister Thanos Plevris. Plevris said the facility could begin operating in the second half of 2027, when Greece is due to assume the EU Council presidency. He said Greece had selected an African country but would not identify it.

Rwanda and Uganda have been mentioned by diplomatic and media sources, but neither has been confirmed. The plan would involve Greece, Germany, Austria, Denmark and the Netherlands. Plevris said the centres would be open facilities rather than closed sites and would be used while individuals awaited return to their countries of origin.

Responsibility for the people would remain with the participating EU states rather than being transferred to the African partner. The five countries would finance the project, while organisations such as the UN refugee agency and the International Organization for Migration could monitor operations. The proposal follows earlier attempts to move asylum processing or deportation arrangements outside Europe.

The UK’s Rwanda plan was ruled unlawful by its Supreme Court, while Italy’s arrangement with Albania faced court intervention after judges questioned whether some countries of origin could be treated as safe. A politically agreed EU Return Regulation would provide a common framework, but the measure had not yet been formally adopted by the Council. Under the planned system, asylum procedures would not be outsourced; the hubs would serve as transit points after a final rejection.

Human rights groups remain concerned. Doctors Without Borders and Amnesty International have warned of legal and humanitarian risks associated with transferring people to third countries. The source did not include their detailed responses to the latest proposal.