EU Pledges to Safeguard Migrants’ Rights at Return Hubs While Facing Scrutiny Over Asylum Procedures

The European Commission has pledged that future migrant return hubs in third countries will operate in line with international law and human rights standards. At the same time, the European Ombudsman has criticised the EU Agency for Asylum (EUAA) over shortcomings in its handling of vulnerable asylum seekers in Greece, adding to the debate surrounding the implementation of the EU’s new Pact on Migration and Asylum.

European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner said that any agreements establishing so-called "return hubs" outside the EU would be subject to legal safeguards. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) are expected to oversee compliance with these standards. According to Brunner, "human rights standards and international law are non-negotiable."

Greece, Germany, Austria, Denmark and the Netherlands are currently negotiating with several African countries on hosting such facilities. Agreements are expected to be concluded by the end of 2026, with the return hubs set to become operational in 2027. The European Commission stressed, however, that negotiating and signing these agreements remains the responsibility of individual member states.

Brussels has also highlighted what it sees as positive results of the EU’s new migration policy. Over the past three years, irregular crossings along the Western Balkans route have fallen by 90%, while arrivals from Türkiye to the Greek islands declined by 67% during the first four months of this year.

At the same time, European Ombudsman Teresa Anjinho pointed to shortcomings in the work of the EU Agency for Asylum (EUAA), which supports member states in processing asylum applications. The investigation found that, in some cases, agency staff failed to identify applicants who were victims of human trafficking or had experienced torture or other forms of severe ill-treatment. As a result, some asylum seekers may not have received the additional safeguards and support available to particularly vulnerable applicants.

The inquiry followed complaints by the legal aid organisations I Have Rights Samos and Avocats sans Frontières France, which in 2022 raised concerns about how EUAA caseworkers conducted interviews with vulnerable asylum seekers on the Greek island of Samos. After the agency failed to respond to those concerns, the organisations referred the case to the European Ombudsman.

While the EU continues to advance stricter measures for returning irregular migrants and insists that the new system will comply with international standards, the Ombudsman's findings suggest that existing asylum procedures still require further improvements to ensure effective protection for people in need of international protection.

Source: The Associated Press, euobserver