EU interior ministers approve legal basis for deportation centers

The EU member states have finally created the legal basis for setting up controversial deportation centers in third countries. As a final formal step, EU interior ministers gave the law the green light at a meeting in Luxembourg. The European Parliament had previously given its formal approval.

The planned deportation centers - also called "return hubs" - are intended to bring people who are legally obliged to leave the country and who cannot be returned to their country of origin - for example because their home country refuses to take them back. Germany has been pushing the project forward for some time together with Austria, Denmark, Greece and the Netherlands.

Dobrindt: big board to drill

Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt continues to hope for an agreement with third countries this year. “That's a tough plan to drill into, and we have to discuss the willingness of the other side, i.e. the third countries, in the next few months,” said the CSU politician before the meeting with his counterparts. Dobrindt did not provide details about which third countries are being negotiated with.

Possible “return hubs” have been discussed for years and are highly controversial. The human rights organization Amnesty International fears possible human rights violations in the deportation centers and warns against agreements with conflict-ridden and politically unstable countries.

Social Democrats and the Greens also question the model. The agreement on the new asylum rules was preceded by a joint decision by the European People's Party (EPP) led by Manfred Weber (CSU) and the right wing in the EU Parliament. The EPP had discussed the issue with the right, among other things, in a controversial WhatsApp chat group.

New law also allows longer detention pending deportation

The new migration rules also specify how rejected asylum seekers must cooperate in their own deportation if they do not want to be detained. You are threatened across Europe with the reduction or cancellation of maintenance benefits or the confiscation of travel documents.

Detention pending deportation is also possible if the responsible officials in the member states believe there is a risk of absconding or there is a risk to national security. The permissible period of detention will be extended under the new rules, to a maximum of 24 months, with a possible extension of another six months in special cases.