Send rejected asylum-seekers out of EU ASAP, urges Greek minister
A pilot project to send migrants who have been denied the right to stay in the EU to designated 'return' countries will be in place by early next year, Greece’s migration minister told POLITICO.
Greece is leading a coalition of five EU nations pushing for rejected asylum-seekers to be sent to countries like Rwanda from next year. The Core Group of Denmark, Austria, Greece, Germany, and the Netherlands plans to have a pilot project in place by the first half of 2027, coinciding with Greece's presidency of the Council of the EU in July.
Migration Minister Thanos Plevris emphasized that the plan does not involve establishing return facilities, but rather designating return countries. If an asylum application is rejected, the individual would either return to their country of origin or a third country outside the EU. Rwanda is reportedly the first country under consideration, with Uganda and Uzbekistan also being discussed.
The plan has faced skepticism due to its ambitious timeline and unresolved elements, such as monitoring processes to ensure human rights are respected in third countries. Financing for the plan would also come from the Core Group. The minister acknowledged that the plan would only exert pressure and likely lead to voluntary returns, rather than leading to large numbers of migrants being outsourced.
The proposed plan will be presented to EU interior ministers at a meeting on Thursday, alongside a temporary suspension of asylum applications for newly arrived people. Greece has faced accusations of violating EU regulations for alleged illegal pushbacks of migrants.
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