European leaders call for external migration return hubs as Dutch parliament rejects family protection motion

Nineteen European heads of state and government, including Belgium Prime Minister Bart De Wever, signed a letter urging the European Commission to provide political and financial support for establishing "return hubs" outside the EU. The hubs are intended to house migrants whose asylum claims have been rejected, and the proposal is modeled on Italy's centres in Albania.

In the Netherlands, a motion introduced by PRO (formerly GroenLinks‑PvdA) MP Lisa Westerveld sought to prohibit sending families with children to such hubs, arguing that it breaches the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Dutch House of Representatives voted the motion down, allowing the government to continue using external return hubs for families.