European talks in Copenhagen to establish return centers outside the European Union

A spokeswoman for the German Interior Ministry confirmed that a number of European Union countries are holding talks today, Friday (September 4, 2026), in the Danish capital, Copenhagen, regarding establishing return centers outside the borders of the European bloc.

The spokeswoman explained that Germany, along with Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Greece, is working to establish what are known as “deportation centers” in countries outside the European Union, noting that the five countries have already begun preliminary talks with a number of potential partner countries.

The German government did not reveal the names of these countries, explaining that the nature of these talks requires a degree of confidentiality, given that relations based on trust constitute an important basis for cooperation with partner countries.

The meeting will be hosted by Danish Minister of Immigration and Integration Morten Budskov. According to the Danish government, the meeting aims to discuss practical and concrete steps that pave the way for reaching an agreement with one of the potential partner countries. The European Commission also participates in the meeting as an observer, according to the Danish side.

The proposed return centers aim to house people who have been subjected to binding decisions to leave, but whose return to their countries of origin cannot be carried out, for example because those countries refuse to receive their citizens again.

Germany has been working for some time, in cooperation with the working group countries (Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands and Greece), to advance this project. German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt recently said that Berlin aims to reach concrete agreements with countries outside the European Union before the end of this year.

The idea of ​​establishing return centers outside the European Union has been discussed for years, but it still raises widespread controversy. Amnesty International warns of potential risks related to human rights within these centers, and also expresses concerns about concluding agreements with countries experiencing conflicts or suffering from political instability.

In a related context, the German newspaper Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung reported that the number of refugees residing in Germany declined during the first half of this year by about 20,000 people, reaching about 3.5 million refugees.

In contrast, the entire year 2025 recorded a net increase of about 88,000 Ukrainian refugees in Germany. The number of Ukrainian refugees currently residing in the country is about 1.35 million people, making them the largest group of refugees residing in Germany.

Clara Bünger, spokeswoman for the Left Party bloc in the German Parliament (Bundestag) on ​​refugee affairs, said that the number of people coming from Ukraine to Germany has declined significantly. At the same time, she criticized the German government's plans to subject new Ukrainian refugees to the aid system designated for asylum seekers, and described these plans as very unfortunate.