Photo credit: Greek Herald
Greece is leading a group of five European Union countries seeking to send rejected asylum seekers to nations outside the bloc, including Rwanda, from next year.
The Greek Herald reports that Greek Migration Minister Thanos Plevris said Denmark, Austria, Greece, Germany and the Netherlands aimed to launch a pilot program during the first half of 2027 and have it fully operational later that year.
Under the proposal, people denied permission to remain in the EU would be returned either to their country of origin or a designated third country.
“We are not talking about centres, in the sense that someone whose asylum is rejected is sent to a closed facility in a third country,” Plevris said. “If your asylum has been rejected, you will either return to your country of origin or to a third country outside the EU.”
Rwanda is reportedly expected to be the first country involved, while Uganda and Uzbekistan are also under consideration. The five EU countries are discussing monitoring arrangements with international organizations to ensure human rights are upheld.
Plevris acknowledged that the program would not involve large numbers of migrants but said it could encourage more returns.
Greece is also proposing a mechanism that would allow asylum applications to be temporarily suspended during periods of intense migratory pressure.
Addressing criticism over illegal migrant pushbacks, Plevris said: “Greece protects its borders in accordance with international law, and it says frankly that it will not apologize to anyone for protecting its borders.”
