Austria's Interior Minister Gerhard Karner ("") intends to quickly advance the establishment of so-called 'return centers' outside the European Union. On 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 project. The goal of the initiative is to make deportations more efficient and to accommodate persons obliged to leave the country, who cannot be directly transferred to their countries of origin, in third countries.
Karner emphasized that he wanted 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 an instrument to minimize incentives to flee and to weaken the business model of smugglers. While the legal framework at the European level is being established by the 'EU Asylum and Migration Pact', the naming of concrete partner states for these locations remained open for the time being. However, in specialist circles and media reports, there is speculation about possible cooperations with countries in North Africa, Central Asia, or East Africa.
The project is met with a mixed reception. Critics and human rights organizations have expressed concerns regarding compliance with international standards in the planned third countries. The Interior Minister countered that the migration turnaround must be implemented consistently in order to relieve national asylum systems. The EU Commission has already signaled its support for the legal possibilities for such 'Return Hubs' within the framework of the new legislation.
