Spain and France oppose EU migrant return centers

The European Parliament approved a new Regulation on returns that would accelerate deportations and allow the creation of migrant centres in third countries, including a provision that a state could pay €20,000 to avoid receiving an asylum seeker. Catalonia president Salvador Illa condemned the rule, saying “Europe was not born for this” and warning that pricing a human being undermines the Union’s values. French President Emmanuel Macron also rejected the approach, stating he is not convinced it reflects EU principles and has seen no evidence of its effectiveness, and he will oppose EU funding for such offshore facilities. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called the proposal a “trick” and “absolutely ineffective”, criticizing its cost and potential damage to cooperation with origin and transit countries. While Spain and France argue for a more humane, collaborative system, nineteen other EU states have signed a declaration to speed up the establishment of these return centres.

The dispute highlights a growing split within the EU over migration policy, with a majority of governments favouring stricter expulsion measures, while France and Spain stress human‑rights concerns and the long‑term social and economic benefits of integration and regularisation.