EU summit discusses the possibility of repatriation centers in third countries

At an EU summit on Thursday, the member states discussed, among other things, migration and asylum. Here, one of the major topics was cooperation with third countries, i.e. countries that are neighbors of an EU country.

At a press conference, Ursula von der Leyen, who is president of the European Commission, highlights the possibility of slowing down the number of migrants and improving the possibilities of returning rejected asylum seekers.

– One of the major topics of conversation was a common approach to returns. Today we see that of all those who do not have the right to be in the EU, only 20 percent are actually sent back to the country they come from.

– So we are working on improving the operational work and will soon present a new bill for it, says the commission chairman.

There is already a proposal for repatriations from 2018, says Ursula von der Leyen. But it is stuck in parliament and the commission, and therefore a new proposal must be made.

In the same vein, the heads of government and the Commission President discussed repatriation centers in third countries.

First, what is on the table is the definition of what a “safe third country” is. Secondly, the possibility of creating repatriation centers in a third country was discussed.

Thirdly, it was discussed how, in cooperation with, among others, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, it can be ensured that migrants who are stranded can return home to their country of origin.

At the summit, support was also given for Poland’s temporary asylum freeze in light of Russia’s use of migrants who are sent on to Poland and Finland, among others.

After the meeting, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (S) said that the EU is about to change course in migration policy.

– I would like to be pleased that there was full support for Poland, in light of the fact that they have been subjected to a hybrid attack, to cancel the right to seek asylum. It is really, really important, says Mette Frederiksen.

The Polish move is very far-reaching and would have previously been criticized for being against international and EU law. But on Thursday, the EU countries did not waver in their support for Poland.

/ritzau/