Greece, Germany, and three EU partners plan African migrant return hub for 2027
Greece, Austria, Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands aim to establish third-country deportation hubs in Africa by late 2027, with Rwanda and Uganda under consideration as potential host destinations.
The five-nation return coalition
Greece and four other European Union member states (Austria, Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands) plan to establish an offshore migrant return framework in Africa by late 2027. Greek Migration Minister Thanos Plevris announced the proposal during an interview with the television network Ant1 on 28 September 2026. Plevris explained that the coalition has already agreed on a host country, though officials have withheld its identity from public disclosure. EU diplomats stated that Rwanda is targeted for the first bilateral agreement, while Uganda and Uzbekistan remain under discussion as additional return destinations. The operational launch is scheduled to coincide with Greece assuming the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU in July 2027.
Structure and international monitoring
Plevris stated that the framework does not involve holding rejected asylum applicants in closed detention centers. Instead, individuals whose asylum applications are rejected in Europe will be transferred either to their country of origin or to an agreed third country outside the bloc. The five governments are preparing a consultation with the Director General of the International Organization for Migration to outline operational standards. Plevris noted that the partner group will retain legal responsibility while engaging external bodies to monitor human rights compliance.
We want to have the expertise and the presence of international organizations, but the responsibility lies with the five countries, jointly.
Emergency border proposals
In addition to the 2027 return plan, Greece will present an emergency response mechanism at the Justice and Home Affairs Council on 1 October 2026. The proposal responds to rapid border surges, referencing events in Spain's 18-square-kilometer North African enclave of Ceuta, where between 70,000 and 72,000 migrants crossed from Morocco in late July and early August 2026. Italian Member of the European Parliament Alessandro Ciriani voiced support for the proposal, arguing that third-country hubs build on the return regulation and safe-country list approved by EU negotiators in June 2026. Under the Greek proposal, member states facing mass arrivals would bypass standard asylum processing and issue immediate expulsion orders.
If your asylum has been rejected, you will either return to your country of origin or to a third country outside the EU.
Implementation and operational precedents
- The United Kingdom announces an offshore asylum agreement with Rwanda, later abandoned after legal challenges.
- European Parliament and member state negotiators agree on a common return regulation framework.
- Greek Migration Minister Thanos Plevris announces the five-nation African return initiative on Ant1.
- Greece presents an emergency border response mechanism at the EU Justice and Home Affairs Council.
- Greece assumes the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU as the target operational launch.
Offshore processing and return initiatives in Africa carry operational precedents across Europe, such as the 2022 agreement between the United Kingdom and Rwanda that ended after legal challenges. Plevris stated that partner states in Africa already possess established refugee camp infrastructure to accommodate arriving deportees. The five participating EU governments intend to permit partner nations to choose whether returnees enter camps or local integration programs. Discussions between coalition members and international agencies will continue to address legal frameworks and monitoring mechanisms before Greece assumes the EU presidency in the second half of 2027.
