European Ministers to Discuss Third-Country Hubs for Rejected Asylum Seekers

European ministers will meet in Moldova on Friday to discuss plans to send thousands of rejected asylum seekers to third-country hubs, according to the head of the continent’s human rights body. The discussions will take place at a multilateral level during the Council of Europe conference in Chisinau.

Ministers are also expected to announce a political declaration recognising countries’ rights to control their borders. The declaration follows demands from several interior ministers for changes to the interpretation of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Previous government plans in one European country to send asylum seekers to Rwanda were blocked after legal challenges under the convention. The supreme court in that country ruled the policy unlawful because the destination was not considered a safe country.

The head of the Council of Europe said the discussion about hubs was an important element that had previously been addressed only at a national level. The official described the multilateral talks as progress. The same official added that it would be important for migrants removed from European soil to remain protected by the European Convention on Human Rights.

"We are dealing with human beings on European soil. That means they are also protected by the European court, the European convention of human rights. That is decisive. Clearly the conditions in the countries are important," the official said.

The meeting is the first time ministers at the Council of Europe have discussed setting up such hubs. One government has attempted to establish return hubs following shifts in domestic political polls. Its interior ministry reported active negotiations with several countries although no agreements have been confirmed.

Five member states are involved in talks with possible destination countries. Discussions have centred on 12 possible locations including Rwanda, Ghana, Senegal, Tunisia, Libya, Mauritania, Egypt, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Montenegro and Ethiopia.

A group of nine European countries issued an open letter last year calling for greater national control over migration policies. The planned political declaration is expected to limit how asylum seekers can use articles 3 and 8 of the convention, covering freedom from torture and the right to family life, to resist removal.

The declaration will not be legally binding.

Statistics from Eurostat show that between 450,000 and 500,000 third-country nationals were ordered to leave the EU each year over the seven years to 2023. Fewer than half of those ordered to leave actually departed. Supporters of return hubs argue that many rejected asylum seekers remain in Europe because returns to their home countries or safe third states have proved difficult.

The Council of Europe official said discussions about the declaration would continue between member countries. The official described the declaration as a milestone but noted that work on the issue remains active. The official also observed that the organisation had changed several times since 1949, including during periods of international rupture such as the cold war and the fall of the Berlin Wall.