Top News

Germany has joined a group of European Union (EU) countries planning to establish "return hubs" to facilitate the deportation of migrants from the bloc. The country's Interior Minister Alexander Dobrint announced that it would follow Greece, Austria, Denmark and the Netherlands in working to secure agreements with third world countries as part of the scheme this year. Mr Dobrint added that talks were underway to bring other EU members into the initiative and cited the European Commission's close involvement, while clarifying that political responsibility would rest with individual governments.

The response to growing concerns about mass migration on the continent follows the proposal last year by the EU to enable member countries to create return hubs for rejected asylum seekers. Greek Migration and Asylum Minister Thanos Plevris also advocated for an effective returns policy across Europe while speaking at a meeting of EU interior and migration officials in Cyprus this week, reports the state-run AMNA news agency.

He said: "The creation of centres for the return of irregular migrants in countries outside Europe is an important solution against illegal migration, as someone who enters the EU illegally will know that they will return to their country of origin or to a return hub outside Europe."

It follows EU states ramping up their stances on migration over the last year, with a large group of countries accelerating efforts to enforce stricter border control and faster deportations, among other measures, in December.

Germany was among the nations involved in the talks and also recorded a rise in the number of people it deported last year.

Around 23,000 deportations took place in 2025, according to figures from the Ministry of Interior reported by the German newspaper Welt, marking a 15% increase from 2024.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer also unveiled plans to establish "return hubs" in other countries including Western Balkan nations last spring - although the scheme has already faced setbacks, including outright refusal from the Albanian Prime Minister and the leader of Kosovo warning that his country only has "limited capacity".

Bosnia and Herzegovina similarly ruled the idea out, suggesting that accepting migrants from Britain would be "incompatible with our national interests".

Home Office figures show 41,472 migrants arrived in the UK in 2025 after crossing the English Channel - the second highest annual figure on record.