5 EU countries plan Africa deportation centre for migrants in 2027
Five European Union countries are moving ahead with plans to establish a deportation centre in Africa for migrants who have been ordered to leave the EU but cannot immediately return to their countries of origin.
Germany, Austria, Denmark, Greece and the Netherlands are working on the proposed “return hub”, with the first facility expected to become operational in 2027.
The plan marks a major development in the EU’s efforts to increase the number of people without legal permission to remain in the bloc who are returned.
Here is what to know about the proposed Africa deportation centre, the countries behind the plan and the migrants who could be affected.
What is the Africa deportation centre?
The proposed facility is officially described as a “return hub”, rather than a conventional deportation or detention centre.
The hubs would be located outside the EU and would accommodate people who have received a final decision requiring them to leave but cannot immediately be returned to their countries of origin.
Under the model being developed by the five countries, the centres would serve as a place where people could stay while arrangements for their eventual return are made.
Greek Migration Minister Thanos Plevris has described the planned facilities as open centres rather than closed detention camps.
The five countries would also retain responsibility for people transferred to the hubs, according to reports on the current proposal.
Which five EU countries are behind the plan?
The countries currently working together on the project are:
- Germany
- Austria
- Denmark
- Greece
- The Netherlands
The five governments have been holding discussions on a common model for return hubs outside the EU.
In September, the countries moved forward with plans aimed at having the first migrants transferred to a partner country in 2027.
The latest reports indicate that Greece is particularly interested in having the facility operating during its six-month presidency of the EU Council in the second half of 2027.
Which African country will host the centre?
The host country has not been officially named.
Greece has said that an African country has been selected, but its government has not publicly disclosed the name.
Rwanda and Uganda have repeatedly been mentioned in media reports as possible locations.
However, neither country has been officially confirmed as the host of the proposed centre.
This means reports naming either country should be treated as unconfirmed until the governments involved announce an agreement.
Who could be sent to the centre?
The proposed hubs are intended for people who have no legal right to remain in the EU and have received a return decision.
This can include migrants whose asylum applications have been finally rejected and people otherwise subject to removal orders.
The plan is not designed to send people there while their asylum claims are still being decided.
The EU’s agreed return framework allows return hubs in third countries for people without a right to stay, while excluding unaccompanied minors from such arrangements.
The centres could either serve as the final destination for some returnees or as transfer points before they are returned to their countries of origin or another third country.
Why is the EU pursuing return hubs?
EU governments have been trying to increase the number of people who actually leave the bloc after receiving orders to do so.
The new return framework is intended to make removals more effective and strengthen cooperation between EU countries and third countries.
The Council of the EU said the new rules will allow member states to establish return hubs outside the bloc, subject to agreements with third countries that respect international human rights standards and international law.
The five countries supporting the current project have presented the hubs as part of a broader effort to improve the return system.
Their argument is that people who cannot be immediately returned to their home countries could instead be transferred to a partner country while arrangements are completed.
What has changed under the new EU rules?
The proposed return hubs are connected to a major change in EU migration policy.
In June 2026, the Council of the EU and the European Parliament reached a provisional agreement on new rules for returning people who are staying illegally in EU member states.
The agreement specifically provides for return hubs in third countries.
Such hubs can be used for people who have no right to remain in the EU, provided the necessary agreement is reached with the host country. The arrangement must also respect fundamental rights and the principle of non-refoulement, which prevents people from being sent to a place where they face a serious risk of persecution or other prohibited harm.
The European Parliament’s position also states that unaccompanied minors cannot be transferred to a third country under such an arrangement.
How would the proposed centres operate?
Details are still being negotiated.
The five countries have said the centres would not simply be prisons where migrants are held indefinitely.
Instead, the proposed model is based on open facilities where people awaiting return could stay while their removal is organised.
The participating EU countries are expected to finance the facilities.
There are also plans for cooperation with international organisations, including the UN refugee agency and the International Organization for Migration, although the exact monitoring arrangements have not yet been finalised.
The eventual agreement with the host country would have to establish the conditions under which people are transferred and accommodated.
Why are human rights groups concerned?
The proposal has attracted criticism from human rights organisations.
Amnesty International has warned that return hubs could create risks involving detention, access to legal remedies and the possibility of people being sent onwards to countries where they could face serious harm.
The European Parliament’s research service has also identified legal and practical challenges surrounding return hubs, including concerns about human rights protections and the cost of operating such facilities.
Supporters of the policy, however, argue that the new framework contains safeguards requiring agreements with countries that respect international human rights standards.
The debate is therefore likely to continue as the five EU countries negotiate with potential African partners.
What happens next?
The five countries are expected to continue negotiations with their potential partner country before the planned 2027 launch.
Greece has indicated that it wants the facility operating during its EU Council presidency in the second half of 2027.
For now, the exact African host country, the number of people the centre would accommodate and the final operating arrangements have not been publicly confirmed.
What is clear is that Germany, Austria, Denmark, Greece and the Netherlands are pursuing a joint return-hub model that could see migrants with final orders to leave the EU transferred to a centre outside Europe from 2027.
The plan could therefore create a new model for how European countries handle migrants who cannot immediately be returned to their countries of origin.