Brussels: The European Union has reached an initial agreement on a new migration and deportation policy, facing criticism over its content and effectiveness. This development has sparked a significant debate across the region, with NGOs raising concerns about potential threats to refugee rights, particularly regarding the establishment of return centers for asylum seekers outside the EU.
According to Qatar News Agency, the plan to establish these return centers has been met with continuous criticism from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) since its inception. These organizations fear that such centers could lead to mistreatment of refugees in third countries. Frank Duvell, a migration researcher at the University of Osnabruck in Germany, noted a substantial decrease in the number of refugees, with asylum applications in Germany dropping from 330,000 in 2023 to fewer than 113,000 two years later.
This downward trend continued into the first quarter of 2026, with approximately 22,000 asylum applications registered, suggesting an annual total of less than 90,000. Migration data also indicates a decline in migrant numbers in countries like Turkiye, Iran, and Sudan. Despite the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian conflict, around four million people have returned to their home regions.
Duvell expressed concerns that the proposed European reforms might be "technically imprecise" and could potentially lead to duplication of structures and curtailment of rights for children, women, families, and refugees. However, the European Commission emphasized that receiving countries must adhere to fundamental human rights standards. Under the new rules, unaccompanied minors will not be deported to return centers, although families with children can be transferred under this system.
French MEP M©lissa Camara criticized the agreement as a "historic setback" for human rights within the EU, arguing that it could lead to the detention of minors and expanded surveillance and deportation procedures. Researcher Petra Bendel of the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg warned that the "Global Displacement 2026" report should serve as a "wake-up call," highlighting concerns that the new unified European asylum system might detain asylum seekers in "conditions resembling detention at the EU's external borders."
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen defended the new measures as a preventative step to avoid a repeat of the 2015 refugee crisis when nearly a million asylum seekers arrived in Europe, fleeing conflicts in the Middle East and Africa. The concept of establishing centers outside EU countries is not new, with Italy previously proposing asylum processing centers in Albania, though the project faced legal challenges.
Several European countries have adopted lists of "safe countries," including Kosovo, Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, India, Morocco, and Tunisia. This policy aims to expedite asylum application processing and reduce acceptance chances, alleviating pressure on asylum systems, according to proponents of deportation.
The British newspaper The Independent highlighted that the agreement reflects a trend toward tightening immigration policies in Europe, especially with the rise of right-wing parties following the 2024 European Parliament elections. Irregular migration flows in recent years have contributed to strengthening anti-immigrant political rhetoric across the continent. (QNA)