Council of Europe warns five EU states over return hub human‑rights risks

The Council of Europe, a 46‑member human‑rights body, sent letters to Austria, Denmark, Germany, Greece and the Netherlands warning that planned “return hubs” for rejected asylum seekers pose “considerable human‑rights risks”, including ill‑treatment and arbitrary detention.

The letters propose four “guardrails”: a comprehensive assessment of human‑rights risks, rigorous monitoring, legally binding agreements with enforceable safeguards, and parliamentary, judicial and public scrutiny. The EU Parliament recently approved an overhaul of migration policy that would speed up deportations and allow member states to set up detention centres abroad.

The Netherlands said it is working with Greece, Austria, Germany and Denmark to establish joint return and transit hubs in third countries and wants concrete steps by the end of the year, amid what Prime Minister Rob Jetten calls an “asylum crisis”. The push reflects growing anti‑immigration sentiment across the EU.