Manfred Weber calls for migrant return centers in Africa

Manfred Weber, leader of the European People's Party (EPP), has called for the rapid establishment of return centers in Africa to manage migrants without the right to stay in the European Union.

Writing in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Weber cited the recent arrival of ten thousand migrants in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta as a catalyst for this proposal. He noted that cooperation with neighboring countries, such as Morocco, can be effective, as Morocco accepted returns which prevented further movement into the Schengen Area.

Weber suggested that the EU should offer closer trade cooperation, economic benefits, and legal migration opportunities to non-EU countries in exchange for hosting these return centers. He emphasized that migrants lacking legal status must leave Europe ‘without any ifs or buts’ and argued that returns should not depend on the political will of individual member states.

Additionally, Weber rejected internal EU border controls as a long-term solution and expressed support for proposals by EU Commissioner for Migration Magnus Brunner. He characterized the crisis in Ceuta, which resulted in approximately 100 deaths, as a consequence of unilateral national actions and political signals from the Spanish government.