Brussels, 30 September 2026 — As last week's EU Munich migration summit concluded with a renewed commitment to externalising returns, ahead of a follow-up meeting planned tomorrow, 1 October, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) calls on European governments to abandon their plans to establish so-called "return hubs" in third countries.
IRC warns that establishment and legitimisation of return hubs could lead to a systematic dismantling of protections for people based on their migration status in Europe and mark a historic setback for fundamental rights.
"The EU should learn lessons from its previous attempts to outsource migration management to non-EU countries, many of which have been deeply troubling and exposed thousands of people to violence, abuse and exploitation. IRC’s latest eyewitness account from the Albanian detention centres, often referred to as a blueprint for the return hubs, can attest to that," says Marta Welander, EU Advocacy Director.
The concept of return hubs is riddled with dangerous gaps. IRC argues that no amount of additional funding, training or monitoring changes the fact that a transferred person's protection would depend entirely on a state outside the EU's legal reach, making it impossible to guarantee their rights and safety. IRC also cautions that externalising migration management increases the leverage third countries hold over the EU; Turkey, Libya and Morocco have previously used the threat of opening their borders as a bargaining tool in negotiations.
“It is not too late for European governments to step back from the return hub initiative rather than proceed toward agreements planned for the end of 2026,” Welander adds. “Europe needs a migration system that is humane, orderly and grounded in international law. That means assessing every asylum claim individually and ensuring nobody is deported to danger.”
