Europe’s Return Hubs Fall Short of Expectations

How Return Hubs Work and Where Italy Set the Precedent

Return hubs are facilities in a “third country” – 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. These sites function either as transit locations for eventual repatriation to countries of origin or as locations where a person is expected to stay with no guarantee of onward returns, according to structural definitions outlined in the EU’s legislative text.

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. Following legal challenges, the Meloni government in March 2025 turned the centre into a deportation hub for irregular migrants who had already received a return decision. While Italian authorities still manage the centre and are responsible for the migrants’ final repatriation, European governments are now evaluating whether entire asylum and deportation procedures can be fully outsourced to a non-EU country.

Which Countries Are Negotiating Third-Country Partnerships

While the Return Regulation has been politically agreed, 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’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. Greek daily Kathimerini reports that these five EU countries are in advanced discussions with Uganda, aiming to make a facility operational by next year, while Germany’s Der Spiegel notes that Rwanda is another African country under consideration.

Legal Hurdles and Human Rights Concerns

The push for externalization faces significant legal opposition and human rights scrutiny across Europe. Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Michael O’Flaherty asked the five EU countries to ensure that “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”. 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.

Judicial pushback has also hit domestic schemes, as Italian judges questioned the designation of countries such as Bangladesh and Egypt as “safe” – a designation Italian authorities had relied on to examine asylum applications through an accelerated procedure – and 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. Sara Prestianni, advocacy director at the NGO Euromed Rights, told Euronews that rushing agreements with countries characterized by human rights violations ignores necessary safeguards.

Cost Analysis and Operational Realities

Critics question whether the political narrative surrounding return hubs matches practical outcomes, citing extreme expenses and operational bottlenecks. Davide Colombi, researcher on migration at Brussels-based think tank CEPS, told Euronews that “The previous experiences of externalisation or offshoring of migration management have been extremely costly, legally contested, and operationally very limited”. 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 €670 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.

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