EU Expands Deportation Powers as Five Nations Plan Africa Center by 2027

The European Union has approved new rules to make it easier to return migrants who are not allowed to stay, tightening the chain of migration enforcement across member states [2]. The decision, taken at a meeting of interior ministers in Luxembourg, gives legal support for deportation centers in countries outside the EU [5].

Under the new rules, authorities can act faster when a person is ordered to leave, with the goal of making the return process more consistent across the bloc [2]. The rule also allows the opening of deportation centers in third countries [5].

Spain was the only EU country to vote against the measure. Belgium and Ireland abstained [5]. Spain's Interior Minister, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, said the new rule fails to create "a truly European return system" and raises "serious legal, foreign relations and operational doubts" about the deportation centers [5]. Spain's government warned the centers "cannot guarantee respect for the rights and obligations of the people who will be returned to a third country" and raised concerns about the principle of non-refoulement — the rule that forbids sending a person back to a country where they face serious danger or torture [5].

The Interior Ministry also raised concerns about detention rules. Under the new rule, detention is no longer a last resort, and the period can be extended to 24 months with renewals that could be unlimited [5]. The rule also allows chain detentions across different member states with no time limit [5].

Irish Interior Minister Jim O'Callaghan said the rule supports the EU's migration and asylum pact and "will contribute to its effective implementation, while respecting fundamental rights" [5]. The Council said in a statement that agreements to set up deportation centers in third countries can only be made if they respect international human rights law and the principles of international law, including non-refoulement [5].

Separately, five EU countries are planning to build a deportation center outside the EU, expected to open in Africa by 2027 [3]. Greece, Germany, Austria, Denmark, and the Netherlands are leading the plan. An African partner country has reportedly already been chosen, though it has not been named [3].

The center would hold migrants who have been ordered to leave the EU. Deportation centers outside Europe are a new approach. Supporters say they speed up removals, while critics question whether they are legal and humane [3]. The five countries are moving ahead even as the EU debates its own migration rules, with more details expected in the coming months [3].

EU ministers are also discussing additional measures to reduce irregular migration, including setting up "return hubs" outside the EU where migrants denied asylum could be sent before being returned to their home countries [1]. The proposals also call for strengthening Frontex, the EU's border agency. Greece has proposed temporarily suspending asylum applications during emergency situations [1].

Grande-Marlaska asked other EU countries for more "operational, financial and political solidarity" to handle migration crises and defended Spain's preventive policies in countries of origin. He said the Atlantic and western Mediterranean routes account for 17% of irregular arrivals to the EU, and Ceuta accounts for only 0.7% of the total [5].