According to several international media outlets citing sources familiar with the negotiations, five EU member states—Germany, Austria, Greece, Denmark, and the Netherlands—intend to announce an agreement with Rwanda on Monday, November 16. The document provides for the establishment in this East African country of a so-called Return Hub, a detention center for migrants whose asylum applications have been rejected but who are not subject to immediate deportation to their countries of origin. According to reports from Politico and AFP, Rwanda is viewed as the first partner for implementing the European Union's new migration strategy.
What is a Return Hub and Why is it Needed
According to explanations provided to AFP, such centers are designed to accelerate the return procedure for individuals whose right to stay in Europe has expired but who cannot be quickly expelled to their homeland for various reasons. The idea is to shift part of the administrative and logistical process outside EU territory by placing the relevant infrastructure in a third country. In this way, Brussels and national governments hope to ease the burden on domestic detention centers and shorten the stay of rejected asylum seekers in Europe.
The Role of IOM and Existing Infrastructure
The newspaper Die Welt, citing a spokesperson for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), reported that several states are holding talks with the organization regarding the operation of such centers in third countries outside the European Union. The IOM spokesperson confirmed the fact of discussions, but emphasized that the organization is not a party to interstate deportation agreements and provides support to migrants regardless of the political context. It is separately noted that Rwanda already cooperates with international migration structures: the country hosts centers of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), where displaced persons await resettlement to third countries, including Canada and Germany.
Criticism from Human Rights Defenders
The initiative has drawn sharp criticism from human rights organizations pointing to Rwanda's human rights record. According to Amnesty International, civil society activity in the country is severely restricted, and the governance methods of President Paul Kagame are regularly criticized. For critics, this means that placing individuals whom the EU cannot or does not wish to expel directly in Rwanda could result in them falling under the jurisdiction of a state with vulnerable rights protections and insufficient guarantees.
Timeline and Implementation Schedule
In early September, the five countries promoting the Return Hubs initiative stated they expected to reach agreements with third countries by the end of the year to establish detention centers outside the EU, and to begin sending migrants there starting in 2027. Thus, the November 16 announcement regarding the Rwandan track will be the first concrete step within this stated roadmap, with Rwanda effectively serving as a testbed for a model that the EU intends to replicate in other countries.
