Austria's Interior Minister, Gerhard Karner (of the "'"ÖVP"'" party), intends to quickly advance the establishment of so-called 'return centers' outside the European Union. At the sidelines of an EU Interior Ministers' meeting in Brussels, Austria, together with Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Greece, agreed on a concrete roadmap for this plan. The goal of this initiative is to make deportations more effective and to house persons required to leave who cannot be directly transferred to their home countries in third states.
Karner emphasized that he wants to move to the operational phase as quickly as possible. The participating states, which see themselves as the '"Group of Implementers"', view the centers as a tool to minimize incentives to flee and to weaken the business model of smugglers. While the legal framework at the European level is being created through the '"EU Asylum and Migration Pact"', the naming of specific partner countries for these locations remains open for now. However, speculation in expert circles and media reports suggests possible cooperation with countries in North Africa, Central Asia, or East Africa.
The project is receiving mixed reactions. Critics and human rights organizations have expressed concerns regarding adherence to international standards in the planned third countries. The Interior Minister countered by stating that the migration shift must be consistently implemented to relieve national asylum systems. The EU Commission has already indicated that it will support the legal possibilities for such '"Return Hubs"' within the scope of the new legislation.
