Brussels is exploring the possibility of opening a deportation center outside the EU. international

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, is increasingly outspoken in her shift to the right on immigration, following the path of more and more Community countries. Brussels is now exploring the possibility of opening deportation centers outside the EU to send migrants with irregular status, following Italy’s model in Albania, which has just opened. Meanwhile, the Community Executive is preparing reforms to tighten regulation on deportations. Von der Leyen explained this to member state leaders in a letter sent on the eve of the European Council, which will also discuss immigration, an increasingly hot issue in the EU with the right and populism on the rise and asylum seekers. The debate on people floods national politics.

“We should continue to explore possible ways to advance the idea of ​​developing return centers outside the EU, especially in view of a new return proposal,” von der Leyen says in the letter. The Community’s executive head faced the challenge of a larger group of partners who, led by Denmark, demanded that “innovative solutions” be explored to tackle irregular migration, among them deportations of European personnel outside the Community area but accompanied by This model of centers is also included. , as opened by the far-right government of Giorgia Meloni in Albania. In fact, German conservatives insist that this model will serve to “teach practical lessons”.

Most member states also sought to tighten the rules governing expulsions in an effort to increase expulsions. Furthermore, as requested by Spain, France and Germany, accelerate the application of the directive creating the Migration Pact, which establishes the solidarity distribution between the partners of the quota of asylum seekers and a common basket of approximately 20,000 Pays Euro. For rejected refugees. “This is a set of European solutions to a European challenge,” says the Commission President.

The idea of ​​creating deportation centers promoted by Meloni has been floating around in the EU for some time, but until a few months ago, Brussels was reluctant, citing problems with international law. Now the path to its discovery is open, but the main hurdle remains where to establish these controversial centres. Some member states want to pressure Balkan EU candidate countries to agree to host them following the Albanian model, but so far they have been reluctant.

The debate over these controversial facilities, condemned by human rights organizations, also heats up when allegations resurface that countries such as Turkey, with which the Union maintains one of its migration agreements, are hosting foreigners – asylum seekers. and have funded deportation centers with European money for non-applicants – where large numbers of human rights violations have been recorded, as revealed by an investigation in which EL PAÍS has participated. The executive head of the Community says the agreement with Turkey “remains important”, highlighting that it will program a new package of one billion euros for Syrian refugees in that country and in border management and migration. Will “support” Ankara.

The EU’s commitment remains to sign pacts and agreements with countries outside the EU to prevent withdrawal of funds, such as the controversial agreement signed with Tunisia, Egypt or Mauritania. Now, with a 56% increase in arrivals to Spain this year (compared to 2023) on Mediterranean and Atlantic routes, Brussels wants to strengthen this agreement with Mauritania and “encourage” others with Senegal or Mali. is, “despite the complexity of the relationships,” says von der Leyen.

Brussels is committed to improving the regulation on deportations to try to increase them, but this is one of the main challenges regarding tightening the regulation of deportations, because few countries of origin accept the return of deported people in irregular status. Don’t do it. The right to asylum has been denied due to lack of conventions, regulation and other bureaucratic problems even within the member states themselves.