The European Union is considering sending migrants who have been denied asylum to Rwanda and Uzbekistan, Politico writes, citing three European diplomats.
According to the publication, a group of EU countries is discussing such a scheme as the bloc attempts for the first time to move part of its migrant-return system beyond its borders. The initiative is being promoted by Denmark, Austria, Greece, Germany and the Netherlands.
Politico notes that these plans are a continuation of controversial attempts by European governments to outsource migration management beyond the continent. Britain’s program to send migrants to Rwanda was scrapped last year after years of legal and political disputes. Italy’s migrant centers in Albania have also been repeatedly challenged in court.
“Although governments are showing interest in Rwanda and Uzbekistan, and this has been confirmed at the EU level, concluding their own agreements remains the prerogative of each individual government,” the article says.
At the same time, the EU has already sent Rwanda hundreds of millions of euros under the Global Gateway program: in 2023, Brussels announced €900 million in investments. The European Union has also allocated €119 million in grants to Uzbekistan.
One of Politico’s sources said that alongside Rwanda and Uzbekistan, Uganda is also being considered. Egypt and Libya, according to the official, were ruled out because of concerns over the risk of human smuggling.
Cyprus Migration Minister Nicholas Ioannides, ahead of the approval of a law on migrant-return centers, said the “general idea” was to create such centers “possibly in Africa or Asia,” but “not near European borders,” the publication notes.
European Parliament Approves Creation of Migrant Centers Outside the EU
Migrant Centers in Albania May Not Violate EU Law, Adviser to the Bloc’s Top Court Says
EU Migration Policy Shifts Sharply to the Right
Berlin Backs Deporting Asylum Seekers to Third Countries and Processing Claims Outside the EU