The European Union is set to submit a proposal as early as March for the creation of ‘return hubs’ to streamline the removal of illegal migrants, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced on Thursday.
Kristersson made these remarks following a meeting in Vienna with Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, where both leaders emphasized the need for the EU to intensify efforts to address illegal immigration. This issue has gained prominence in Europe amid the rise of hard and far-right political parties, pushing immigration to the forefront of political discussions.
EU leaders had previously indicated in October that they were considering a plan to send migrants with no right to remain in the EU to ‘return hubs’ located in safe countries outside the bloc. Kristersson revealed that he had discussed the scheme with EU Commissioner for Migration, Austria’s Magnus Brunner, who assured him that a proposal would be ready this spring, likely by March.
Nehammer commended Kristersson for maintaining immigration as a priority on the EU agenda and highlighted that 18 countries within Europe’s Schengen Area, including Switzerland and Norway, now shared similar concerns about curbing migrant flows. He also noted that countries without external EU borders, like Austria, have become more involved in addressing the immigration issue. Nehammer stressed that collective action was essential to making meaningful progress in resolving the migration challenge.
