European Union talks on a migration reform to create so-called “return hubs” outside the bloc broke off without a deal Wednesday, with negotiations set to continue on Thursday, EU sources said.
European lawmakers and countries were expected to agree on a tightening of immigration rules concocted in response to political pressure across the 27-nation EU to curb migration.
Diplomatic sources said only a few unresolved issues needed ironing out mainly around the timeline for implementation.
But governments and parliament representatives decided to reconvene Thursday morning with the hope of reaching a deal then.
“People with no right to stay in the European Union must be returned effectively,” EU migration chief Magnus Brunner wrote on social media as talks were underway.
“This is what the new rules will provide: more control over who can come to the EU, who can stay, and who must leave.”
Criticised by human rights groups, the measures notably allow for the opening of centres outside the EU’s borders to which migrants whose asylum applications have been rejected could be sent.
They also envisage harsher penalties for migrants who refuse to leave, including detention and entry bans.
Some in the bloc have questioned the effectiveness of return centres, which the International Rescue Committee , an NGO, has described as “legal black holes”.
“These proposals risk trapping more people in precarious situations, and will cause deep harm to migrants and the communities that welcome them alike,” said Olivia Sundberg Diez of Amnesty International.
But a group of countries, including Denmark, Austria, Greece, Germany and the Netherlands, has nevertheless ploughed ahead exploring options to set them up.
– Fraught issue –
With migrant arrivals down, the focus in Brussels has turned to improving the repatriation system.
Currently, only about 20 percent of people ordered to leave are actually returned to their country of origin.
The European Commission said this month it invited Taliban officials to Brussels for talks on returning migrants to Afghanistan, in a move fraught with practical and ethical concerns.
Austria in May signed a migration deal with Uzbekistan to that end eyeing in particular the deportation of Afghans.
Proponents say return hubs could facilitate the deportation process, hosting migrants with no right to stay in Europe pending repatriation to their home country, and act as a deterrent.
Critics instead point to the hurdles faced by similar projects.
Britain abandoned a scheme to deport undocumented migrants to Rwanda, while Italian-run facilities to process migrants in Albania have faced legal challenges and a slow uptake.
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This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
