Germany is one of five EU states working to sign at least one return hub agreement this year. Return hubs are holding centers outside the EU for rejected asylum seekers.
Interior and migration ministers from these five states confirmed the goal at a conference in Copenhagen on September 4, 2026:
- Germany
- Austria
- Denmark
- the Netherlands
- Greece
On June 1, 2026, the Council and the European Parliament reached a provisional political agreement on an EU Return Regulation that would allow return hubs.
No German statute has changed as a result, so the return hub push is a negotiating-stage commitment, not a change in the law that applies to your case today.
NOTE: Until the EU Return Regulation is formally adopted and published, deportations from Germany continue to run under § 58 AufenthG and the current EU Return Directive (Directive 2008/115/EC).
What is an EU return hub?
An EU return hub is a facility in a non-EU country. A member state can send someone there who has no right to stay in the EU and cannot immediately be removed to their country of origin.
A return hub works in one of two ways:
- as a transit point
- under the emerging EU framework, as a longer-term holding location
The concept only becomes usable once an EU legal basis and a bilateral agreement with the host country both exist.
What does the Gruppe der Umsetzer plan to do on return hubs?
The five EU countries, informally called the “Gruppe der Umsetzer” (Group of Implementers), want to operationalize return hubs under the new EU asylum and migration pact.
Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said the group intends to move “step by step” toward an agreement with a non-EU partner country before the end of 2026. Karner framed this as undercutting smuggling networks that promise irregular routes into the EU.
No partner country has been officially named for the return hubs, and the German government has not announced a partner state.
Press reporting around the conference pointed to Uganda and Rwanda as candidates under discussion, but ministers did not confirm this.
What would the EU Return Regulation allow for return hubs?
The EU Return Regulation would for the first time explicitly allow member states to set up return hubs in third countries. Under the current text:
- any agreement to set up a return hub would have to respect international human rights standards and non-refoulement (the ban on returning someone to a country where they face serious harm)
- unaccompanied minors are excluded from transfer to a return hub
- families with children are not excluded, which was a late addition compared with the original European Commission proposal
Even after publication, most provisions only apply after a further 12-month transition.
What should you do about the EU return hub plans if you face deportation?
Two things are worth doing about the EU return hub plans. Both of them apply if you have a pending asylum claim, a deportation order, or a Duldung (suspension of deportation) in Germany.
- Keep every deadline and document from your Ausländerbehörde current.
- If a removal-related notice mentions a third country or a country you have no prior connection to, do not research it yourself. Whether that removal is legal depends on facts specific to your case. Get a lawyer to review the notice before you respond.
LegalWeg represents clients in deportation and removal proceedings, including challenges to unlawful removal decisions.
Sources
- “Gruppe der Umsetzer”: Konferenz in Kopenhagen
- “Umsetzer-Gruppe” will noch heuer ein Partnerland für Rückführzentren von Migranten finden
- Council and Parliament reach deal on returns of illegally staying third-country nationals
- European Parliament approval of the Return Regulation
- Directive 2008/115/EC