On 18 June 2026, the European Parliament adopted the "return regulation" by a wide majority. The text authorises the creation of "return hubs", deportation centres located outside the Union's territory, intended for migrants whose asylum claims have been rejected. The reform rests on a shared finding: only 20 to 30 percent of deportation decisions issued across the EU currently lead to an effective return.
The vote comes amid a tightening of migration policy under way for several years across the continent, driven by the rise of identitarian parties in many member states. A drop in asylum-seeker arrivals in 2025 shifted the debate from managing flows to the efficiency of removals. The extraterritorial hub mechanism echoes legally fragile precedents, such as the abandoned British plan to send migrants to Rwanda and the Danish model that was never fully implemented.
The measure divides member states. Germany and Greece, on the front line of arrivals, position themselves as drivers of the scheme and are already taking part in implementation talks. France and Spain reject it, their leaders deeming it ineffective or contrary to the principles they uphold. In Italy and Sweden, a government line favourable to a tougher stance coexists with institutional or partisan voices that temper its reach.
Several points remain disputed or uncertain. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said he "deeply regretted" the legislation, recalling the principle of non-refoulement and arguing that states cannot outsource their obligations to third countries. Reception conditions in destination countries and the concrete oversight mechanisms for the hubs remain largely undefined.
