ATHENS — Greece and four European Union partners are in advanced talks with an African country to establish an offshore return hub for people with no legal right to remain in the EU, Migration and Asylum Minister Thanos Plevris said Wednesday. An agreement is targeted by the end of 2026, with operations planned for the second half of 2027.
Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and Denmark are participating alongside Greece. Plevris did not name the prospective host country and said no deal has been signed. The timetable remains a target rather than a confirmed opening date.
The proposed hubs would hold people whose asylum applications have been finally rejected and who cannot be returned directly to their countries of origin. Under the EU return framework agreed by negotiators this year, member states could transfer them to a partner country outside the bloc instead. The new Return Regulation is expected to take effect in autumn 2026.
The five governments agreed guiding principles and next steps at a meeting in Copenhagen on 4 September. Greece is the only southern EU country in the core group. Plevris has described the project as a “pressing national imperative,” arguing Greece cannot remain a place where people without protection status stay indefinitely.
Earlier this year Plevris said Athens was already in talks with two African countries. Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya have been mentioned in previous reporting as possible partners; a separate Dutch track with Uganda was later paused. Human-rights groups have criticised the model over legal and protection risks. The Greek government says any facility would operate in line with EU and international law.
Arrivals on the Turkey–Aegean route have fallen sharply this year amid closer cooperation with the Turkish Coast Guard. Pressure has shifted toward the Libya–Crete crossing. Greece continues charter-return flights, including to Bangladesh, and has tightened detention so rejected applicants are not released pending removal.
No details have been released on capacity, cost-sharing or the exact location of the first hub. Officials say the first facility is intended to open in the second half of 2027 if an agreement is reached this year.
