- Germany, Austria, Denmark, Greece and the Netherlands visited Kigali to discuss return hubs for rejected asylum seekers.
- The five governments want a first partnership by the end of 2026, with a possible signing in early 2027.
- Amnesty warned the plan could create a human rights black hole if host countries do not meet EU safeguards.
Germany, Austria, Denmark, Greece and the Netherlands sent delegations to Kigali during the week of August 29, 2026, to explore migrant return hubs for rejected asylum seekers. The five governments want a first partnership agreed by the end of 2026.
The proposal would place people outside the European Union after their asylum claims fail and their right to remain ends. A deal could be signed in early 2027, with facilities potentially operating in 2027.
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The plan remains preliminary. Rwanda’s government spokeswoman, Yolande Makolo, said Kigali had held “some initial discussions with some European countries.”
“nothing has been decided”
Makolo’s comments describe talks rather than a concluded partnership. The five governments have not announced a signed agreement.
The proposed facilities would serve people who have received a return decision and have no legal right to stay in the bloc. Under the model, authorities could transfer someone to a third country even without a connection to that country.
The legal basis is also still developing. A European return-law framework backed in June 2026 is guiding the effort, although it has not yet been formally adopted in final form.
The European Parliament passed legislation in June 2026 allowing member states to establish facilities beyond the bloc’s borders. The five-country group is trying to develop a practical model before wider EU practice settles.
The five governments have set a year-end target
The initiative moved from preparation to reported visits within weeks:
| Date | Development |
|---|---|
| August 21, 2026 | Germany and four other EU states were preparing technical discussions, with a delegation due to travel “next week.” |
| August 25, 2026 | Dutch reporting described a visit by the Netherlands and four other European countries to discuss a “terugkeerhub” for rejected asylum seekers. |
| August 26, 2026 | The five states were described as racing to establish facilities before the new rules were fully in place. |
| August 29, 2026 | Delegations from the five countries had reportedly visited Kigali. |
| September 4, 2026 | Immigration ministers from the five states were due to review progress at a meeting in Copenhagen. |
| End of 2026 | The governments aim to agree on a first partnership. |
| Early 2027 | A diplomat said the deal could be signed. |
| 2027 | A Uganda-linked facility could become operational. |
Denmark’s Ministry of Immigration has said the five countries jointly launched the effort and that the work has entered a “decisive phase.” Germany’s interior minister, Alexander Dobrindt, has been publicly linked to the “Return Hubs” plan.
The group is being described as an early set of implementers. Its aim is to test external-return arrangements while EU-wide rules remain unfinished.
Several African countries have entered the discussion
Kigali is one of several African locations under discussion. Uganda is the other main country named in the talks, while Kenya and Ghana have also appeared among possible options.
One reported pilot model could hold 5,000 to 10,000 people. A separate facility linked to Uganda could accommodate up to 10,000 people and might operate in 2027.
The proposed system reflects pressure within the EU to increase returns of rejected asylum seekers. It would move part of the process beyond EU territory after authorities issue a return decision.
Dobrindt’s involvement has tied Germany’s government to the initiative. The five-country format also gives the project a broader political base than a single-state arrangement.
Amnesty warns the arrangements could become a rights-free zone
Amnesty International has challenged the selection of Kigali and Kampala as possible partners. Eve Geddie, director of the organization’s European Institutions Office, spoke ahead of the September 4, 2026 meeting in Copenhagen.
She said the discussions were “reportedly zeroing in on two countries with appalling human rights records: Uganda and Rwanda.” Amnesty warned that the proposed system could become a “human rights black hole.”
“reportedly zeroing in on two countries with appalling human rights records: Uganda and Rwanda.”
The organization also pointed to the EU Return Regulation. Amnesty said agreements may be reached only with countries where “international human rights standards and principles […] are respected.”
That condition would place the rights records of any host country at the center of future negotiations. It would also require the governments to reconcile the external-transfer model with the safeguards attached to EU return policy.
Kigali’s previous role in the UK’s now-abandoned Rwanda asylum scheme adds another layer to the proposal’s political background. The British plan made the country a prominent destination in an earlier attempt to send asylum seekers outside Europe.
The September 4 ministerial meeting is the next scheduled checkpoint. The governments’ target remains a first partnership by the end of 2026, followed by possible signing in early 2027.
