Greece and four European Union partners are in advanced talks with an African country to establish a return hub, with an agreement targeted by the end of 2026 and operations planned for the second half of 2027, Greek Minister of Migration and Asylum Thanos Plevris said on September 16.
Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and Denmark are participating alongside Greece. Plevris did not identify the prospective host country or announce a signed agreement. The timetable remains a target rather than a confirmed opening date.
The proposed hubs would accommodate people who have no legal right to remain in the EU. Under the return framework agreed by EU negotiators, member states could arrange their transfer to a partner country outside the bloc, rather than necessarily returning them directly to their country of origin.
Five Countries Set Out Return-Hub Plans
The minister’s remarks follow a September 4 meeting in Copenhagen, where the five governments agreed on guiding principles and further steps toward establishing return hubs outside the EU.
According to Denmark’s immigration ministry, the proposed model must comply with EU and international law, particularly human rights obligations. It must also be developed through equal and mutually beneficial partnerships with countries outside the bloc. The governments describe reducing irregular migration and disrupting migrant-smuggling operations as objectives of the initiative.
The group agreed on a common timetable for the national legal procedures needed before the system can operate. Missions to potential partner countries are intended to assess whether local standards meet the agreed principles and whether suitable partnerships can be established.
How an Africa Return Hub Would Work
European Parliament and Council negotiators reached a provisional political agreement on a new Return Regulation on June 1, 2026. The agreed framework envisages return hubs in third countries as part of a broader effort to coordinate returns across member states.
The facilities could serve either as final destinations or as centers facilitating onward return to a person’s country of origin or another third country. Their role would therefore extend beyond repatriation alone.
Under the agreement, arrangements could be concluded only with countries that respect international human rights standards and international law, including the principle of non-refoulement. Unaccompanied minors are excluded from such arrangements. These are conditions set out in the agreed framework, not confirmation that a particular host country or facility has met them.
EU Returns Increased in Early 2026
The initiative comes against a backdrop of rising returns from the EU. Eurostat recorded 34,550 people returned to countries outside the bloc following an order to leave in the first quarter of 2026, an increase of 8.1 percent compared with the same period in 2025.
During that quarter, 108,475 non-EU citizens were ordered to leave an EU country, down 12.8 percent year over year. Germany recorded the highest number of returns to third countries, at 7,300, followed by France with 3,775 and Poland with 2,660.
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