Return centers for migrants in third countries? The EU is paving the way for unprecedented toughening. Several member states, including Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Austria and Greece are already considering partnerships with Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Rwanda.
Facilitating expulsions requires removing legal obstacles (the voluntarism of the Meloni government which intended to send back foreigners in an irregular situation in Albania encountered numerous appeals before the courts) and financial ones (in addition to the cost of the procedures, these expulsions will only work if substantial compensation is paid to the countries welcoming these ” platforms”). Not so simple.
It is nevertheless a major political turning point which echoes the expectations of Europeans and the right-wing of the Old Continent where, everywhere, migratory pressure is felt. Not an election without this issue being at the heart of the debates. Everywhere…?
Skeptical about these return centers (Spain is opposed to them), France hesitates and procrastinates. Is this so surprising from a country which has still not transposed into its law the Pact on Migration and Asylum, a text published in the Official Journal of the EU… in May 2024?
The political chaos means that this subject is as if confiscated by the cleavage of the extremes: the “New France” mixed with LFI versus the definitive “threat of civil war” brandished by the RN. The caricature is such that between the two, the (many) contenders for the Elysée are groping forward, suspicious, cautious. Too many shots to take.
One year before the presidential election, many intentions (when there are any), without daring to say too much. Sooner or later, however, we will have to lay down our cards, clearly, clearly, precisely on what promises to be one of the main themes of the 2027 campaign.
