{"id":2112355,"date":"2026-08-26T10:31:26","date_gmt":"2026-08-26T07:31:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2112355"},"modified":"2026-08-26T10:31:26","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T07:31:26","slug":"europes-obsession-with-return-hubs-may-not-live-up-to-the-hype","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2112355","title":{"rendered":"Europe&#8217;s obsession with return hubs may not live up to the hype"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/88\/84\/29\/1200x675_cmsv2_5e425917-ead3-5200-a196-9cc70cb16c14-9888429.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article id=\"abe-2920134-pos1-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-1 m-modeDesktop-1 m-modeXL-1\" data-nid=\"2920134\" data-cid=\"9886600\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2920134-label-pos1-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/88\/66\/00\/189x106_cmsv2_61fe47a0-d5c3-5b2a-a94d-0636f56a29e2-9886600.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"People wait for Donald Trump to arrive at an event at the General Motors Proving Ground in Milford, Michigan, July 27, 2026.\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    USA<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Data centre trap: Trump&#8217;s AI ambition puts Republicans on defensive\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2920699-pos2-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-1 m-modeDesktop-1 m-modeXL-1\" data-nid=\"2920699\" data-cid=\"9889665\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2920699-label-pos2-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/88\/95\/20\/189x106_cmsv2_f45a0896-cd09-5b31-96b4-4465f9fa24e7-9889520.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"An Air France plane takes off from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Thursday 6 November 2025, in SeaTac, Washington state.\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Health news<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    French flight attendant&#8217;s cancer recognised as occupational disease\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2920635-pos3-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-1 m-modeDesktop-1 m-modeXL-1\" data-nid=\"2920635\" data-cid=\"9889537\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2920635-label-pos3-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/88\/91\/74\/189x106_cmsv2_1bf7d854-5df5-5e66-ac00-5704ccf941eb-9889174.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"File photo showing a grey wolf at the Wildlife Science Center in Forest Lake, Minnesota. (AP Photo\/Dawn Villella, File)\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Europe News<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Wolf sightings rise in Italy after suspected attacks\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2920216-pos4-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-1 m-modeDesktop-1 m-modeXL-1\" data-nid=\"2920216\" data-cid=\"9887046\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2920216-label-pos4-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/88\/70\/46\/189x106_cmsv2_842e29ce-7a1d-5585-b548-94b51eaa432f-9887046.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"The property takes its name from its former role as the porter house of the nearby Hotel des Postes et des T\u00e9l\u00e9graphes\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><span class=\"c-icon-gallery the-media-object__icon\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/images\/vector\/camera.svg\" width=\"21\" height=\"21\" alt loading=\"lazy\"><\/span><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Travel News<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Boutique heritage hotel set to open in the heart of Ghent\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2920134-pos1-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 m-modeXL-2\" data-nid=\"2920134\" data-cid=\"9886600\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2920134-label-pos1-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/88\/66\/00\/189x106_cmsv2_61fe47a0-d5c3-5b2a-a94d-0636f56a29e2-9886600.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"People wait for Donald Trump to arrive at an event at the General Motors Proving Ground in Milford, Michigan, July 27, 2026.\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    USA<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Data centre trap: Trump&#8217;s AI ambition puts Republicans on defensive\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2920699-pos2-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 m-modeXL-2\" data-nid=\"2920699\" data-cid=\"9889665\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2920699-label-pos2-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/88\/95\/20\/189x106_cmsv2_f45a0896-cd09-5b31-96b4-4465f9fa24e7-9889520.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"An Air France plane takes off from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Thursday 6 November 2025, in SeaTac, Washington state.\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Health news<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    French flight attendant&#8217;s cancer recognised as occupational disease\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2920635-pos3-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 m-modeXL-2\" data-nid=\"2920635\" data-cid=\"9889537\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2920635-label-pos3-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/88\/91\/74\/189x106_cmsv2_1bf7d854-5df5-5e66-ac00-5704ccf941eb-9889174.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"File photo showing a grey wolf at the Wildlife Science Center in Forest Lake, Minnesota. (AP Photo\/Dawn Villella, File)\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Europe News<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Wolf sightings rise in Italy after suspected attacks\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2920216-pos4-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 m-modeXL-2\" data-nid=\"2920216\" data-cid=\"9887046\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2920216-label-pos4-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/88\/70\/46\/189x106_cmsv2_842e29ce-7a1d-5585-b548-94b51eaa432f-9887046.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"The property takes its name from its former role as the porter house of the nearby Hotel des Postes et des T\u00e9l\u00e9graphes\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><span class=\"c-icon-gallery the-media-object__icon\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/images\/vector\/camera.svg\" width=\"21\" height=\"21\" alt loading=\"lazy\"><\/span><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Travel News<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Boutique heritage hotel set to open in the heart of Ghent\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"helper-site-row o-article-newsy\">\n<div class=\"helper-site-container o-article-newsy__container\">\n<div class=\"o-article-newsy__main\">\n<header class=\"h-grid o-article-newsy__main__header\">\n<nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumbs\" class=\"c-article-breadcrumbs\">\n<div id=\"adb-article-breadcrumb\" class=\"c-article-breadcrumbs__list\">\n<p>                          Europe<\/p>\n<p>                          Europe News<\/p><\/div>\n<\/nav>\n<h1 class=\"c-article-redesign-title\">\n                            Europe&#8217;s obsession with return hubs may not live up to the hype<\/h1>\n<div class=\"c-article-image-video u-position-relative \">\n<div class=\"js-superdiv u-aspect-ratio-16x9 u-position-relative \" data-controller=\"video-player\" data-sponsored=\"Partner content\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"js-poster-img c-article-media__img\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/88\/84\/29\/1536x864_cmsv2_5e425917-ead3-5200-a196-9cc70cb16c14-9888429.jpg\" width=\"1536\" height=\"864\" loading=\"eager\" alt=\"Migrants board an Italian Coast Guard vessel as part of a transfer operation from the asylum processing centres at the port of Shengjin, Albania.\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-caption u-position-absolute\"><i id=\"article-caption-content\" class=\"c-article-caption__content\"><span class=\"c-article-caption__text\"><br \/>\n              Migrants board an Italian Coast Guard vessel as part of a transfer operation from the asylum processing centres at the port of Shengjin, Albania.<br \/>\n                    <span class=\"u-color-white\">&#8211;\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"c-article-caption__copyright\">Copyright\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"c-article-caption__credit\">AP Photo\/Vlasov Sulaj<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-image-copyright c-article-image-copyright--novideo\">\n      Copyright\u00a0AP Photo\/Vlasov Sulaj\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"h-grid o-article-newsy__main__body u-article-content\">\n<div class=\"o-article-newsy__contributors-publication-date\">\n<div class=\"c-article-contributors\">\n  By&amp;nbspLuca Bertuzzi&amp;nbsp&amp;&amp;nbspVincenzo Genovese\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-publication-date\" data-timestamp=\"1787740286\">\n         Published on<br \/>\n            <time datetime=\"2026-08-26 12:31:26 +02:00\">26\/08\/2026 &#8211; 12:31 GMT+2<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-share-comment u-align-items-center u-display-flex\"><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__links 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loading=\"lazy\"><span>Bluesky<\/span><\/span><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/vector\/social-icons\/article-redesign-bluesky.svg\" width=\"48\" height=\"48\" alt=\"bluesky\" class=\"u-show-for-desktop\" loading=\"lazy\"><span class=\"u-display-flex u-gap-1 u-show-for-mobile-only\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/vector\/social-icons\/article-redesign-threads.svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" alt=\"threads\" loading=\"lazy\"><span>Threads<\/span><\/span><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/vector\/social-icons\/article-redesign-threads.svg\" width=\"48\" height=\"48\" alt=\"threads\" class=\"u-show-for-desktop\" loading=\"lazy\"><span class=\"u-display-flex u-gap-1 u-show-for-mobile-only\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/vector\/social-icons\/article-redesign-whatsapp.svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" alt=\"whatsapp\" loading=\"lazy\"><span>Whatsapp<\/span><\/span><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/vector\/social-icons\/article-redesign-whatsapp.svg\" width=\"48\" height=\"48\" alt=\"whatsapp\" class=\"u-show-for-desktop\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"c-article-summary\">\n        Five EU states are racing to build migrant &#8216;return hubs&#8217; before new rules are put in place, with Uganda and Rwanda rumoured as the most likely sites \u2013 but recent cases point to significant legal and practical obstacles, while the actual numbers do not match the expectations.<br \/>\n    <\/h2>\n<div class=\"c-article-content js-article-content\">\n<p>The EU&#8217;s migration policy has increasingly centred on the controversial notion of using &#8220;return hubs&#8221; to externalise irregular migrants to third countries, as enshrined in the recently adopted Return Regulation.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"c-ad u-show-for-mobile-only\">\n<div class=\"c-ad__placeholder\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-ad__placeholder__logo\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/logos\/logo-euronews-stacked-outlined-72x72-grey-9.svg\" width=\"72\" height=\"72\" alt loading=\"lazy\"><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-ad u-show-for-desktop\">\n<div class=\"c-ad__placeholder\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-ad__placeholder__logo\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/logos\/logo-euronews-stacked-outlined-72x72-grey-9.svg\" width=\"72\" height=\"72\" alt loading=\"lazy\"><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&#8220;We need to set up repatriation centres in third countries, as well as other innovative solutions outside Europe. We are working hard on this,&#8221; Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen wrote in a joint statement earlier this month.<\/p>\n<p>Nineteen EU countries are convinced this is an &#8220;innovative solution&#8221; to pursue for migration management, as made clear in a joint letter sent to EU leaders last June, suggesting the centres would become a reality sooner rather than later. <\/p>\n<p>A crucial debate on migration will take place at the next European Council summit, with return hubs set to be one of the main points of discussion.<\/p>\n<p>Yet fundamental questions about how the policy would be implemented remain unanswered. How would return hubs work? Where would they be located? And which problems have they run into so far? Here, Euronews breaks down the main issues around the new migration mantra \u2013 and why the reality might not match the political narrative.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>What are return hubs?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Return hubs are facilities in a &#8220;third country&#8221; \u2013 a non-EU country with which an EU member state has reached an agreement to transfer people even when they have no connection to that country. The people to be transferred will be those with no legal right to remain on European territory who are subject to a return decision.<\/p>\n<p>Hubs can be either places of transit, where a person is placed waiting to be returned to their country of origin, or locations where a person is expected to stay with no guarantee of onward returns.<\/p>\n<p>While the term \u201creturn hubs\u201d is not specifically used in the text of the regulation, the law reframes an original proposal from the European Commission, outlining the conditions to set up centres outside the EU. Each hub requires \u201can agreement or arrangement\u201d to be concluded by the EU, or one or more of its member states, with a non-EU country.<\/p>\n<p>Italy has spearheaded this approach with Albania, where centres opened in October 2024 are used to house migrants rescued or intercepted at sea by Italian authorities. Rome is now pitching this as the model for the rest of the EU to follow.<\/p>\n<p>Ironically, the Albanian facility is not technically a return hub. For one thing, it was meant to host only asylum seekers, externalising the asylum procedure, which was run by Italian authorities on Albanian soil.<\/p>\n<p>After being confronted with legal challenges, in March 2025, the Meloni government turned the centre into a deportation hub for irregular migrants who had already received a return decision. This change made the Albanian facility an early precursor to a return hub, but it is still the Italian authorities who manage the centre and who are responsible for the migrants\u2019 final repatriation.<\/p>\n<p>The European model could yet go further and externalise the entire management and responsibility for the asylum and deportation process to a non-EU country.<\/p>\n<p>Italy&#8217;s processing and detention centres in Albania would need to be reconsidered once the country joins the EU. Albania is the second-closest candidate to accession after Montenegro.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Which countries are being considered?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The Return Regulation has been politically agreed, but the EU institutions still have to complete its formal adoption: the law has yet to enter into force, as it still has to be published in the bloc&#8217;s Official Journal. <\/p>\n<p>According to an EU official, the language of the regulation is undergoing legal review and the final adoption is likely to take place in the autumn.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, European governments have reportedly already been working to set up return hubs in third countries, negotiating either bilaterally or as a group.<\/p>\n<p>Germany, Austria, Denmark, Greece and the Netherlands have confirmed they are negotiating the establishment of such facilities. Their goal is to have the first partnership agreed by the end of the year, to be signed in early 2027, a diplomat told Euronews. The European Commission is informed, but not involved.<\/p>\n<p>According to Greek daily Kathimerini, the five EU countries are in advanced discussions with Uganda, aiming to make a facility operational by next year. The countries involved have declined to confirm this, citing the risk that media disclosures could harm the negotiations.<\/p>\n<p>Rwanda is another African country under discussion with the group of five, according to Germany&#8217;s Der Spiegel. Rwanda was also at the centre of a highly controversial and now abandoned UK scheme to relocate asylum seekers while their applications were processed.<\/p>\n<p>Immigration ministers from the five countries are due to take stock of progress at a meeting in Copenhagen on 4 September.<\/p>\n<p>In April, meanwhile, the Austrian government announced a migration and readmission agreement with Uzbekistan, which does not include a return hub. Media reports and national MPs have named the country as a potential location, but Uzbekistan&#8217;s Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied it in a statement to Euronews, saying &#8220;there are currently no negotiations taking place on this matter&#8221;.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>What are the legal and practical problems?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>In a letter published last month, the Council of Europe&#8217;s Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O&#8217;Flaherty, asked the five EU countries to ensure that &#8220;any relevant initiative be preceded by a comprehensive ex ante assessment of potential direct or indirect human rights risks associated with the proposed co-operation&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>The Return Regulation does not explicitly require a human rights impact assessment, but it does state that &#8220;such an agreement or arrangement may only be concluded with a third country where international human rights standards and principles in accordance with international law, including the principle of non-refoulement, are respected&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>In 2024, the EU Ombudsman criticised the Commission for signing a Memorandum of Understanding with Tunisia on border control and migration management without conducting a human rights impact assessment.<\/p>\n<p>Even though the UK is no longer an EU member, the reasoning behind its Supreme Court ruling against the Rwanda asylum-transfer scheme in November 2023 is instructive: the court found Rwanda was not sufficiently safe given the risk of persecution or ill-treatment. The incoming Labour government abandoned the scheme as a result.<\/p>\n<p>Meloni&#8217;s own relocation scheme in Albania has run into similar judicial trouble, with Italian judges questioning the designation of countries such as Bangladesh and Egypt as &#8220;safe&#8221; \u2013 a designation Italian authorities had relied on to examine asylum applications through an accelerated procedure.<\/p>\n<p>Crucially, the court cases stemming from the Albanian centres have now reached the EU Court of Justice, which has yet to rule on a central question: whether Italy can transfer someone subject to a detention order outside the EU. <\/p>\n<h2><strong>Will the hubs work?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>&#8220;A human rights assessment &#8211; that should be carried out for all this kind of agreements &#8211; takes time, whilst EU countries are rushing to sign agreements with third countries even when the rules are not yet in place,&#8221; Sara Prestianni, advocacy director at the NGO Euromed Rights, told Euronews.<\/p>\n<p>Prestianni described the countries being floated to host return hubs as &#8220;characterised by human rights violations&#8221; and questioned what methodology is being used to carry out the required human rights impact assessments.<\/p>\n<p>Even so, transferring irregular migrants outside the EU&#8217;s borders is likely to require lengthy negotiations with host countries, and past cases show legal challenges can easily sink the project if human rights safeguards are not in place.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I definitely see questions as to what the third country might ask in return for hosting people who are not nationals of that country,&#8221; Davide Colombi, researcher on migration at Brussels-based think tank CEPS, told Euronews.<\/p>\n<p>In the meantime, relocating irregular migrants within the Union has proved far more straightforward, though this piles more pressure on frontline countries like Italy to uphold the country-of-first-arrival principle.<\/p>\n<p>Advocates of the return-hub approach counter that the legal and practical obstacles are not insurmountable, and that European capitals simply need time to build a functioning system capable of removing irregular migrants once the hubs are operational.<\/p>\n<p>But past cases raise doubts over whether reality will match ambition. <\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The previous experiences of externalisation or offshoring of migration management have been extremely costly, legally contested, and operationally very limited,&#8221; Colombi said.<\/p>\n<p>Despite years of preparation and massive financial investment, a total of four people were voluntarily relocated from the UK to Rwanda before that scheme was scrapped. Italy initially projected housing around 3,000 migrants a month in its Albanian centres; the actual figure has reportedly been a mere 500 in total since the conversion into a deportation centre in March 2025.<\/p>\n<p>The entire bill amounts to over \u20ac670 million, and according to a recent study from an Italian University, detaining migrants in these centres has proven much more expensive for Italy than hosting them on its own territory.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>                                  Go to accessibility shortcuts<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-article-share-comment u-align-items-center u-display-flex\"><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__links u-align-items-center u-display-flex u-justify-content-center js-c-article-share-comment-share\"><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__label\">Share<\/span><\/span><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__label\">Comments<\/span><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__label c-article-share-comment__label--always\">Add Euronews on Google<\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"adb-article-you-might-also-like\" class=\"perf-cv-auto c-article-you-might-also-like\">\n<h2 class=\"c-article-you-might-also-like__title\">\n        Read more<br \/>\n      <\/h2>\n<div class=\"c-article-you-might-also-like__item\">\n<h3>\n<p>                  Meloni made migrant &#8216;returns&#8217; popular in the EU. Now the policy is backfiring on her<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-you-might-also-like__item\">\n<h3>\n<p>                  Sweden plans to send migrants to Italy, France and Spain reject Dublin transfers<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-you-might-also-like__item\">\n<h3>\n<p>                  Meloni and Frederiksen reiterate opposition to &#8216;uncontrolled immigration&#8217;<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"perf-cv-auto\">\n<ul id=\"adb-article-tags\" class=\"c-tags-list\">\n<li class=\"c-tags-list__item\">\n<section class=\"tc-cta\" data-twig-component=\"Cta-default\">\n  Migration Policy<br \/>\n<\/section>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"c-tags-list__item\">\n<section class=\"tc-cta\" data-twig-component=\"Cta-default\">\n  asylum seeker<br \/>\n<\/section>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"c-tags-list__item\">\n<section class=\"tc-cta\" data-twig-component=\"Cta-default\">\n  Uganda<br \/>\n<\/section>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"c-tags-list__item\">\n<section class=\"tc-cta\" data-twig-component=\"Cta-default\">\n  Italy<br \/>\n<\/section>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"c-tags-list__item\">\n<section class=\"tc-cta\" data-twig-component=\"Cta-default\">\n  Rwanda<br \/>\n<\/section>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"c-tags-list__item\">\n<section class=\"tc-cta\" data-twig-component=\"Cta-default\">\n  Immigration<br \/>\n<\/section>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"o-article-newsy__aside\">\n<div class=\"c-ad-wrapper o-article-newsy__aside__content-1\" data-ad-name=\"adzone-halfpage\">\n<div class=\"c-ad c-ad-halfpage u-show-for-desktop\">\n<div class=\"c-ad__placeholder\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-ad__placeholder__logo\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/logos\/logo-euronews-stacked-outlined-72x72-grey-9.svg\" width=\"72\" height=\"72\" alt><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-ad u-show-for-mobile-only\">\n<div class=\"c-ad__placeholder\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-ad__placeholder__logo\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/logos\/logo-euronews-stacked-outlined-72x72-grey-9.svg\" width=\"72\" height=\"72\" alt><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"adb-article-top-stories\" class=\"perf-cv-auto c-top-stories\">\n<h2 class=\"c-top-stories__title\">Top stories<\/h2>\n<div class=\"c-top-stories__item\">\n<article id=\"abe-2920295-pos2-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 m-modeXL-2 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2920295\" data-cid=\"9889255\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2920295-label-pos2-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/88\/73\/65\/320x180_cmsv2_ff827d0c-235e-55c5-9a75-a3a1b44f4247-9887365.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"A serviceman of the 413th separate Ukrainian unmanned systems regiment &quot;Raid&quot; prepares an FP-1 long-range UAV for a strike on Russia, Ukraine, 16 August 2026.\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Putin signs decree allowing state seizure of drone-hit businesses<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-top-stories__item\">\n<article id=\"abe-2920655-pos3-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 m-modeXL-2 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2920655\" data-cid=\"9889294\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2920655-label-pos3-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/88\/92\/94\/320x180_cmsv2_b0678745-c94d-536b-a439-05d8260d2c05-9889294.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Sweden&apos;s tactical police unit was on the scene.\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Second arrest over deadly sword attack at Swedish school<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-top-stories__item\">\n<article id=\"abe-2920695-pos4-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 m-modeXL-2 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2920695\" data-cid=\"9889516\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2920695-label-pos4-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/88\/95\/16\/320x180_cmsv2_ac3dc4c0-f977-5575-87ed-7a4a708043bd-9889516.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"WhatsApp and Signal are increasingly targets for hacking and phishing.\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    State actors &#8216;tried to hack EU officials&#8217; 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class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/88\/95\/16\/320x180_cmsv2_ac3dc4c0-f977-5575-87ed-7a4a708043bd-9889516.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"WhatsApp and Signal are increasingly targets for hacking and phishing.\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    State actors &#8216;tried to hack EU officials&#8217; messaging apps&#8217;<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2920630-pos5-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 m-modeXL-2 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2920630\" data-cid=\"9889109\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2920630-label-pos5-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/88\/91\/09\/320x180_cmsv2_f6a22ab6-e441-5268-be33-809332ec40cb-9889109.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"FILE. People gather in the Nvidia booth at the Mobile World Congress mobile phone trade show in Barcelona, Spain, Feb. 2014\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Nvidia earnings preview: The report the entire market is waiting on<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2920134-pos6-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 m-modeXL-2 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2920134\" data-cid=\"9886600\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2920134-label-pos6-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/88\/66\/00\/320x180_cmsv2_61fe47a0-d5c3-5b2a-a94d-0636f56a29e2-9886600.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"People wait for Donald Trump to arrive at an event at the General Motors Proving Ground in Milford, Michigan, July 27, 2026.\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Data centre trap: Trump&#8217;s AI ambition puts Republicans on defensive<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2920528-pos1-mostViewed\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-3 m-modeDesktop-3 m-modeXL-3 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2920528\" data-cid=\"9888725\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    French man detained in Italy after three Akeron missiles found in van<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2920328-pos2-mostViewed\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-3 m-modeDesktop-3 m-modeXL-3 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2920328\" data-cid=\"9887542\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Conservatives, liberals call to freeze EU cash for Romania over mayor<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2920346-pos3-mostViewed\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-3 m-modeDesktop-3 m-modeXL-3 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2920346\" data-cid=\"9888068\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Drones and ships running blind as GPS malfunctions across Poland<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2920497-pos4-mostViewed\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-3 m-modeDesktop-3 m-modeXL-3 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2920497\" data-cid=\"9888498\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    306 people infected with salmonella in Belgium in egg-linked outbreak<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2920473-pos5-mostViewed\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-3 m-modeDesktop-3 m-modeXL-3 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2920473\" data-cid=\"9888358\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    CIA director Ratcliffe makes secret trip to Moscow, US reports claim<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"articleBody\" data-key=\"articleBody\">The EU&#8217;s migration policy has increasingly centred on the controversial notion of using &#8220;return hubs&#8221; to externalise irregular migrants to third countries, as enshrined in the recently adopted Return Regulation.&#8221;We need to set up repatriation centres in third countries, as well as other innovative solutions outside Europe. We are working hard on this,&#8221; Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen wrote in a joint statement earlier this month.Nineteen EU countries are convinced this is an &#8220;innovative solution&#8221; to pursue for migration management, as made clear in a joint letter sent to EU leaders last June, suggesting the centres would become a reality sooner rather than later.A crucial debate on migration will take place at the next European Council summit, with return hubs set to be one of the main points of discussion.Yet fundamental questions about how the policy would be implemented remain unanswered. How would return hubs work? Where would they be located? And which problems have they run into so far? Here, Euronews breaks down the main issues around the new migration mantra \u2013 and why the reality might not match the political narrative.What are return hubs?Return hubs are facilities in a &#8220;third country&#8221; \u2013 a non-EU country with which an EU member state has reached an agreement to transfer people even when they have no connection to that country. The people to be transferred will be those with no legal right to remain on European territory who are subject to a return decision.Hubs can be either places of transit, where a person is placed waiting to be returned to their country of origin, or locations where a person is expected to stay with no guarantee of onward returns.While the term \u201creturn hubs\u201d is not specifically used in the text of the regulation, the law reframes an original proposal from the European Commission, outlining the conditions to set up centres outside the EU. Each hub requires \u201can agreement or arrangement\u201d to be concluded by the EU, or one or more of its member states, with a non-EU country.Italy has spearheaded this approach with Albania, where centres opened in October 2024 are used to house migrants rescued or intercepted at sea by Italian authorities. Rome is now pitching this as the model for the rest of the EU to follow.Ironically, the Albanian facility is not technically a return hub. For one thing, it was meant to host only asylum seekers, externalising the asylum procedure, which was run by Italian authorities on Albanian soil.After being confronted with legal challenges, in March 2025, the Meloni government turned the centre into a deportation hub for irregular migrants who had already received a return decision. This change made the Albanian facility an early precursor to a return hub, but it is still the Italian authorities who manage the centre and who are responsible for the migrants\u2019 final repatriation.The European model could yet go further and externalise the entire management and responsibility for the asylum and deportation process to a non-EU country.Italy&#8217;s processing and detention centres in Albania would need to be reconsidered once the country joins the EU. Albania is the second-closest candidate to accession after Montenegro.Which countries are being considered?The Return Regulation has been politically agreed, but the EU institutions still have to complete its formal adoption: the law has yet to enter into force, as it still has to be published in the bloc&#8217;s Official Journal.According to an EU official, the language of the regulation is undergoing legal review and the final adoption is likely to take place in the autumn.Meanwhile, European governments have reportedly already been working to set up return hubs in third countries, negotiating either bilaterally or as a group.Germany, Austria, Denmark, Greece and the Netherlands have confirmed they are negotiating the establishment of such facilities. Their goal is to have the first partnership agreed by the end of the year, to be signed in early 2027, a diplomat told Euronews. The European Commission is informed, but not involved.According to Greek daily Kathimerini, the five EU countries are in advanced discussions with Uganda, aiming to make a facility operational by next year. The countries involved have declined to confirm this, citing the risk that media disclosures could harm the negotiations.Rwanda is another African country under discussion with the group of five, according to Germany&#8217;s Der Spiegel. Rwanda was also at the centre of a highly controversial and now abandoned UK scheme to relocate asylum seekers while their applications were processed.Immigration ministers from the five countries are due to take stock of progress at a meeting in Copenhagen on 4 September.In April, meanwhile, the Austrian government announced a migration and readmission agreement with Uzbekistan, which does not include a return hub. Media reports and national MPs have named the country as a potential location, but Uzbekistan&#8217;s Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied it in a statement to Euronews, saying &#8220;there are currently no negotiations taking place on this matter&#8221;.What are the legal and practical problems?In a letter published last month, the Council of Europe&#8217;s Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O&#8217;Flaherty, asked the five EU countries to ensure that &#8220;any relevant initiative be preceded by a comprehensive ex ante assessment of potential direct or indirect human rights risks associated with the proposed co-operation&#8221;.The Return Regulation does not explicitly require a human rights impact assessment, but it does state that &#8220;such an agreement or arrangement may only be concluded with a third country where international human rights standards and principles in accordance with international law, including the principle of non-refoulement, are respected&#8221;.In 2024, the EU Ombudsman criticised the Commission for signing a Memorandum of Understanding with Tunisia on border control and migration management without conducting a human rights impact assessment.Even though the UK is no longer an EU member, the reasoning behind its Supreme Court ruling against the Rwanda asylum-transfer scheme in November 2023 is instructive: the court found Rwanda was not sufficiently safe given the risk of persecution or ill-treatment. The incoming Labour government abandoned the scheme as a result.Meloni&#8217;s own relocation scheme in Albania has run into similar judicial trouble, with Italian judges questioning the designation of countries such as Bangladesh and Egypt as &#8220;safe&#8221; \u2013 a designation Italian authorities had relied on to examine asylum applications through an accelerated procedure.Crucially, the court cases stemming from the Albanian centres have now reached the EU Court of Justice, which has yet to rule on a central question: whether Italy can transfer someone subject to a detention order outside the EU.Will the hubs work?&#8221;A human rights assessment &#8211; that should be carried out for all this kind of agreements &#8211; takes time, whilst EU countries are rushing to sign agreements with third countries even when the rules are not yet in place,&#8221; Sara Prestianni, advocacy director at the NGO Euromed Rights, told Euronews.Prestianni described the countries being floated to host return hubs as &#8220;characterised by human rights violations&#8221; and questioned what methodology is being used to carry out the required human rights impact assessments.Even so, transferring irregular migrants outside the EU&#8217;s borders is likely to require lengthy negotiations with host countries, and past cases show legal challenges can easily sink the project if human rights safeguards are not in place.&#8221;I definitely see questions as to what the third country might ask in return for hosting people who are not nationals of that country,&#8221; Davide Colombi, researcher on migration at Brussels-based think tank CEPS, told Euronews.In the meantime, relocating irregular migrants within the Union has proved far more straightforward, though this piles more pressure on frontline countries like Italy to uphold the country-of-first-arrival principle.Advocates of the return-hub approach counter that the legal and practical obstacles are not insurmountable, and that European capitals simply need time to build a functioning system capable of removing irregular migrants once the hubs are operational.But past cases raise doubts over whether reality will match ambition.&#8221;The previous experiences of externalisation or offshoring of migration management have been extremely costly, legally contested, and operationally very limited,&#8221; Colombi said.Despite years of preparation and massive financial investment, a total of four people were voluntarily relocated from the UK to Rwanda before that scheme was scrapped. Italy initially projected housing around 3,000 migrants a month in its Albanian centres; the actual figure has reportedly been a mere 500 in total since the conversion into a deportation centre in March 2025.The entire bill amounts to over \u20ac670 million, and according to a recent study from an Italian University, detaining migrants in these centres has proven much more expensive for Italy than hosting them on its own territory.<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/my-europe\/2026\/08\/26\/europes-obsession-with-return-hubs-may-not-live-up-to-the-hype&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/88\/84\/29\/1200x675_cmsv2_5e425917-ead3-5200-a196-9cc70cb16c14-9888429.jpg&#8221;] USA Data centre trap: Trump&#8217;s AI ambition puts Republicans on defensive Health news French flight attendant&#8217;s cancer recognised as occupational disease Europe News Wolf sightings rise in Italy after suspected attacks Travel News Boutique heritage hotel set to open in the heart of Ghent USA Data centre trap: Trump&#8217;s AI ambition puts [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[90],"tags":[226,36],"class_list":["post-2112355","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-international","tag-crawlmanager","tag-euronews-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2112355","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2112355"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2112355\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2112355"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2112355"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2112355"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}